Great Lakes Wire

MARQUETTE, Mich - The Northern Michigan University women's soccer team hosted the Davenport Panthers for their second GLIAC match of the 2024 season, resulting in a 3-0 win.

The Wildcats dominated the match from start to finish, showcasing strong offensive plays and solid defense. With this win, the Wildcats continue to build momentum in their season, demonstrating their determination and prowess on the field.

"We were pretty close to [a complete 90-minute] performance, and I think we did a good job at managing the game," said head coach Jon Sandoval. "We were not great today, but good teams find a way [to win] when they aren't playing their best, and we did that today."

The Wildcats now move to 3-2-1 overall and 1-1-0 in GLIAC play.

Hannah Kastamo opened the scoring with her second goal of the season and 13th of her career. Allison Kroll contributed off the bench, recording her first goal of the season during her 25 minutes on the field. Brooke Pietila rounded out the scoring with her second goal of the season, bringing her career total to 15.

Irene Kiilunen provided a crucial assist on Kastamo's goal. Molly Pistorius added an assist and is now tied for the team lead in that category. Sally Patton recorded her second shutout as a Wildcat, making three saves on the evening. Multiple players made their season debuts including Paige Britton, Lucy Burk, Emma Kastamo, Isabella Lorens, Kira Merrell, and Olivia Moreno.

The Wildcats are now 29-3-7 on home turf since Sandoval has taken over the women's soccer program.

In a dynamic play, Brooke Pietila initiated action with a corner kick which Irene Kiilunen returned into the box. This setup allowed Hannah Kastamo to score in the 21st minute.

Molly Pistorius initiated a breakaway but had her shot saved by Davenport’s goalkeeper. Allison Kroll scored from the rebound in the 34th minute with Pistorius credited for an assist.

At halftime, NMU was dominating with twelve shots compared to Davenport's two. Five of NMU's shots were on target while Davenport managed only one on goal from their attempts. NMU also had three more corner kicks than Davenport while committing fewer fouls (four) compared to Davenport's eight.

Brooke Pietila extended NMU’s lead to 3-0 with a strike from outside the box in the 65th minute.

Davenport player Madison Fant almost scored but Maria Storm cleared it away preserving Patton’s clean sheet.

Next up for NMU are road games against Roosevelt University in Chicago on September 27 followed by Purdue University Northwest in Hammond on September 29.