Northern Michigan University's Kaffie Kurz helps out a Purdue Northwest player with a cramp in the second half of their GLIAC men's game played at the NMU Soccer Field on Sept. 20, 2019. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

MARQUETTE — The men’s soccer team at Northern Michigan University is already nearing the midpoint of its unique abbreviated spring season with a home game against Ashland at 1 p.m. Sunday in the Superior Dome.

The Wildcats are looking for their first win after a 4-0 loss to open the season against Saginaw Valley State in the dome and 2-1 loss at Davenport last weekend. NMU has a game each weekend through mid-April for seven total in the regular season, with late April and the first few days of May reserved for the GLIAC Tournament.

On Sunday, Northern fell behind 1-0 on a Davenport penalty kick, then drew even on their own free-kick goal by junior Kaffie Kurz, his first with the Wildcats, from 35 yards out in the first half. The Panthers then scored again just eight minutes later on a free kick with neither team scoring in the second half.

Northern had a pair of point-blank opportunities in the final 10 minutes that could have changed the result, but both goalkeepers came up big several times. NMU junior netminder Alex Weaver was tested late in the game and finished with four saves. Kurz led the team on offense with a team-high three shots.

“I was proud of our guys today for battling to the end,” NMU head coach David Poggi said of the game. “We have a very young team, and playing two top GLIAC sides the first two matches of the season can be challenging, but we played (Davenport) even in the second half.”

While the Wildcats were the No. 5 pick in the conference coaches’ preseason poll, Davenport was chosen fourth and SVSU second, each with at least one first-place vote.

Among its 13 returnees from the fall 2019 that made the GLIAC Tournament for the third straight year, Northern sports the reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year and All-GLIAC Second Team member Ryan Palmbaum as well as fellow Second Team member Francisco Espinoza. And Kurz was an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.