Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University women's soccer team is preparing for its second consecutive road trip, facing Cedarville University and Northwood University.

Both Cedarville and Northwood experienced successful seasons last year. Cedarville advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, while Northwood claimed the G-MAC Championship and made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

The Wildcats will compete against the Yellow Jackets on Thursday, September 12, at 3 p.m., followed by a game with the Timberwolves on Saturday, September 14, at 12 p.m.

Fans can follow @NMU_wsoccer and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates before and during the games.

"Including St. Cloud (last weekend) and our two games this weekend, that's three national tournament teams," said Jon Sandoval. "We wanted to have a challenge, and it's proving to be that way. We have to make sure we're mentally tough to deal with these moments."

The Wildcats have scored seven goals in two games this season, averaging 3.50 goals per game—ranking seventh best among NCAA DII schools that have played two games. Madison Bilbia leads the GLIAC with two goals in two contests, placing her tenth nationally. Her four total points also lead NMU.

Cedarville finished last season with a record of 16-5-1 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament again. Key returning players include senior midfielder Megan McClish, who scored 11 goals and had 27 points last year, and senior forward Payton Fraley.

Northwood ended last season with a record of 15-4-3 overall and 12-1-1 in G-MAC play. The Timberwolves clinched both regular-season and tournament titles en route to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. They return several seniors poised for leadership roles: Brooke Dolkowski, Brooke Honeycutt, Stephanie O'Keefe, Audrey Rademacher, and Sydney Rizo.

Northwood has played one regular-season match so far this year—a 2-1 win at California (PA). They will face Davenport on Thursday before playing NMU on Saturday when they will also hold their G-MAC Championship Ring Ceremony.