Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) women's soccer team triumphed over the Davenport Panthers in a 4-1 victory during the GLIAC Semifinals held in Marquette. The Wildcats, holding a record of 13-3-4, led 1-0 at halftime and scored three additional goals in the second half before the Panthers managed to score.

Assistant coach Natalie Stampfly praised the team's performance, particularly in the second half. "We came in and got one early which was really great, but then we kind of lost a little of what we were trying to do… At halftime we just kind of talked about possessing the ball a little more, sticking to our game plan a little more, and they did a really good job of executing," said Stampfly.

The Wildcats' offensive efforts were highlighted by goals from Justina L'Esperance, Madison Bilbia, Brooke Pietila, and Sami Brown. Both Pietila and Bilbia recorded assists as well. Molly Pistorius contributed with two assists.

Brooke Pietila was recently honored as GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year. She remarked on her team's offensive strength: "The way this team trains, it really shows... We knew what we had to do [to get a win today], we came out with confidence, and we were able to get it done."

NMU concluded their regular season with a 1-1 draw against Saginaw Valley State Cardinals. They will face them again in the GLIAC Championship after Saginaw defeated Grand Valley State Lakers via penalties following a tied match.

Stampfly expressed anticipation for the upcoming final: "The game [the Cardinals] played against Grand Valley was back and forth and a real battle, and our last game against the Cardinals was the same thing... We're just really excited to be back here [in the finals] again."

The championship match is scheduled for Sunday, November 17 at 1 p.m. at NMU's soccer field. Fans can attend for free or follow through radio or live stream services.

In their semifinal match against Davenport, NMU's scoring commenced before 15 minutes elapsed as Pietila assisted Kastamo downfield leading to L'Esperance’s header goal. Early in the second half, Pistorius assisted Bilbia for another goal. Pistorius then facilitated another goal by passing to Pietila who secured it confidently. The final point was achieved through Brown following an assist from Pietila during a set piece.