Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University women's soccer team clinched their first GLIAC Championship title by defeating the Wisconsin Parkside Rangers 1-0. This victory marks the second consecutive season the Wildcats have reached the championship match and their first-ever win in program history. Under head coach Jon Sandoval, this is also the third time in four years that the team has made it to the finals.

Key players Molly Pistorius, Maria Storm, Brooke Pietila, and Jillian Thompson were named to the All-GLIAC Tournament Team. The decisive goal came from Brenna Musser, who scored her first goal of the season midway through the first half. The Wildcats dominated throughout, outshooting their opponents 24-6 with a 9-1 advantage on target.

After the match, Jon Sandoval expressed his pride: "It really hasn't sunk in yet… A lot of pride for the players for the amount of work they have put in during the regular season, but also our pride for the Northern Michigan community. The amount of support that we've seen this year; it's obviously great to win, and it's an even better feeling when you're winning with a great fan base that we have."

Brenna Musser's goal was not only her first of the season but also her third career game-winning goal and 13th overall. Both Musser and Pietila led with six shots each as NMU recorded nine corner kicks compared to Parkside's one.

Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson secured her GLIAC-leading 15th win of the season along with her 14th shutout.

In the first half, NMU started strong by outshooting Parkside 10-3 before Musser found an opening through traffic to score after a free kick by Pietila. In the second half, NMU maintained their lead while facing some pressure from Parkside's offense but managed to secure their historic win.

Next up for NMU is awaiting their placement in NCAA Regional Tournament play, which will be determined during Monday's selection show at 6:30 p.m.