Great Lakes Wire

After defeating Ferris State in the opening round of the GLIAC tournament, the Northern Michigan University (NMU) women's soccer team will play Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in the semifinals. The match is scheduled for Friday, November 14, at 1 p.m. at GVSU Soccer Field in Allendale.

Fans can watch the game via streaming on FloCollege.com or follow live statistics at nmuwildcats.com.

The Wildcats have a season record of 7-7-5 overall and 6-6-2 in conference play. Their recent victory over Ferris State was a 2-0 result played in cold and snowy conditions. This win extended NMU’s unbeaten streak to five games and marked their third consecutive shutout.

Senior captains Hannah Kastamo and Kenna Alexander have played key roles during this stretch. Both were recently recognized with All-GLIAC honors: Kastamo was named to the First Team, while Alexander earned Second Team recognition. Kastamo leads the team with six goals and four assists and scored the decisive goal against Ferris State. Alexander, who also scored in that match, has now found the net in five straight games. Madison Bilbia received an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention; she is second on the team for both goals and assists and contributed an assist in the last game.

Grand Valley State enters as the top seed with a record of 17-2-0 overall and 13-1-0 in conference play. They secured their spot by narrowly defeating Roosevelt University 1-0 and are currently on an eight-game winning streak, having outscored opponents 24-3 during that span with five shutouts.

Several Lakers received postseason awards: Kacy Lauer was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year; Macie Hunter was selected as Goalkeeper of the Year; Ivy Wilhelm received Freshman of the Year honors; Head Coach Katelyn Longino and her staff were recognized as Coaching Staff of the Year. Ten GVSU players were named to All-Conference teams.

NMU has lost both previous meetings with GVSU this season, falling 4-0 at home in September and 3-0 away in October.

"The Wildcats (7-7-5, 6-6-2 GLIAC) have found a terrific run of form at the right time, turning in a convincing 2-0 decision over the Bulldogs in the cold and snow at Big Rapids to open the postseason on Tuesday. That win extended the team's unbeaten streak to five games, including pitching its third consecutive clean sheet."

"Catalysts for the terrific run of form have been the senior leadership from captains Hannah Kastamo and Kenna Alexander, who were just announced as earning All-GLIAC First and Second Team honors, respectively. Kastamo (six goals and four assists) scored the game-winning goal on Tuesday and holds the team lead in points, while Alexander scored the second Wildcat goal in the 2-0 win to extend her goal streak to five goals in as many games. Picking up an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention nod was Madison Bilbia, who is second on the team in goals and assists. Bilbia picked up an assist in the decision against Ferris State."

"The No. 6 Lakers (17-2-0, 13-1-0 GLIAC) ended the regular season as the top-seed in the conference, and earned the right to host the remainder of the postseason after scraping out a 1-0 win over the eighth-seeded Roosevelt Lakers. GVSU enters weekend on an eight-game win streak, outscoring opponents 24–3 with five clean sheets in that frame."

"The Lakers were awarded for major GLIAC Postseason awards, including senior defender Kacy Lauer being named GLIAC Defensive Player of Year, freshman goalkeeper Macie Hunter being named GLIAC Goalkeeper of Year, freshman forward Ivy Wilhelm being named GLIAC Freshman of Year, and Head Coach Katelyn Longino and GVSU coaching staff being named GLIAC coaching staff of year. The Lakers also landed ten student-athletes among all three All–Conference teams."

"NMU is 0–2 against top-ranked team in region this season, falling 0–4 at home at end of September and 0–3 on road at end of October. With both teams entering semifinals on a terrific run of form, this game becomes must-watch television."