Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) women's soccer team will begin their postseason run as the fifth seed in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament, facing fourth-seeded Ferris State University. The quarterfinal match is set for Tuesday, November 11, at noon at the Bulldog Soccer Field in Big Rapids.

Fans can watch the game on Flo College and follow live statistics through nmuwildcats.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary. Updates are also available via NMU's social media channels @NMU_wsoc on Instagram and @NMU_wsoccer on X.

The Wildcats finished their regular season with a 1-0 victory over Purdue Northwest, securing a fifth-place finish in the conference standings. The team ended the season unbeaten in their last four games, conceding only three goals and recording consecutive shutouts in their final two matches.

Ferris State closed out its regular season with home wins against Parkside (2-1) and Roosevelt (3-0), extending its unbeaten streak to six games. The Bulldogs completed their campaign with five wins and one draw over those six contests. Their only non-win during that stretch was a 2-2 draw against NMU on October 26.

This season, NMU and Ferris State have played twice. The Wildcats won 2-1 at home after coming from behind, with Hannah Kastamo scoring both goals on October 3. In the second meeting in Big Rapids, Kenna Alexander scored first for NMU and assisted on the equalizer late in regulation to secure a draw. Alexander has been a key player for NMU recently, scoring in four straight matches to end the regular season and tying Kastamo for most goals on the team with five each.

Katherine Welch contributed four goals and an assist over her last five games while leading all GLIAC players in shots on goal and ranking second overall in total shots taken. For Ferris State, Natalia Leavens provided four assists across four games, while goalkeeper Korinne Ihrke notched four shutouts over her past six appearances; her goals-against average of 0.851 ranks second-best among GLIAC keepers.

Both teams have scored 24 goals this year but differ defensively: Ferris State allowed just 15 goals—second fewest in the league—while Grand Valley State led defensively by conceding nine.

In terms of offensive pressure, Ferris State leads NMU slightly with 104 corner kicks compared to NMU’s 94—ranking them second and third respectively within GLIAC teams.

Discipline marks another area of contrast between these programs. The Wildcats committed fewer fouls than any other GLIAC squad this year—142 total—and received only four yellow cards throughout the campaign. By comparison, Ferris State ranked near the top of disciplinary charts with 213 fouls committed and 22 yellow cards issued.