Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University women's soccer team is set to host Ferris State and Saginaw Valley State this weekend. The Wildcats, with a record of 4-2-2 overall and 2-1-1 in GLIAC play, are currently fourth in the conference standings. Ferris State holds a slight edge over NMU, sitting one spot higher with a 3-1-3 overall record and an unbeaten 2-0-1 in conference play. Meanwhile, Saginaw Valley State aims to climb the standings as they face the Wildcats on Sunday.

Reflecting on past encounters, NMU previously defeated Ferris State 4-1 during the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals last November. Against Saginaw Valley State, their last meeting ended in a 1-1 draw where NMU dominated possession.

NMU's home performance under Jon Sandoval has been strong, with the team recording three consecutive shutouts recently. Sally Patton leads defensively with impressive statistics in goals against average and save percentage.

Coach Jon Sandoval emphasized the importance of preparation: "Right now we're 1-1 at home, so this week it is important to have a sharp week of training in order to execute the gameplan we have for this weekend."

Ferris State approaches the match after going unbeaten in their last three games. Haley Buckman stands out as their leading scorer. For Saginaw Valley State, Lainey Garbarz was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week for her recent performances.

The matches will take place on October 4 against Ferris State and October 6 against Saginaw Valley State.