Northern Michigan University goalkeeper Shenae Kreps watches from the goalmouth during a Wildcats’ home game this season at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University women’s soccer team guaranteed itself a winning regular season with a sweep of GLIAC games over the weekend.

The Wildcats improved to 9-7-1 overall and 7-5-1 in the GLIAC with a 3-2 home victory over Saginaw Valley State before going on the road for a 3-0 win at Purdue Northwest.

NMU has just one regular-season game left, though it’s an important one as the Wildcats host Michigan Tech indoors in the Superior Dome at 1 p.m. Sunday. The game is scheduled to be televised on WLUC-TV6 or Fox-U.P., too.

Here is a roundup of last weekend’s action:

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NMU 3, Saginaw Valley State 2

On Friday at the NMU Soccer Field, the Wildcats scored three straight goals over a 40-minute period in the middle of the game to erase a 1-0 deficit.

The Cardinals’ Stephanie Strong scored her 12th goal of the season, unassisted, not quite 18 minutes into the game.

With the Cardinals still leading 1-0, NMU put up a strong defense to keep it that way. About midway through the opening half, SVSU took a free kick, but after the ball went over the Northern human wall, goalkeeper Shenae Kreps deflected the ball off the crossbar, according to an account from NMU Sports Information.

Not quite 15 minutes after the Cards’ goal, Wildcats freshman midfielder Justina L’Esperance received a long-range pass from teammate Brooke Pietila for a goal.

The score remained tied 1-1 for nearly 20 minutes into the second half before L’Esperance changed things up by kicking a long shot from outside the box, giving teammate Isabela Cardoso a chance to capitalize for the go-ahead goal, her eighth of the fall.

Northern’s Maria Storm knocked home an insurance marker less than 10 minutes later in the 74th minute, taking a corner kick by Cardoso and getting the goal, her fourth.

Kreps finished with seven saves, while SVSU counterpart Olivia Argeros had five stops.

“That match was super exciting,” Kreps told NMU Sports Information. “It’s obviously great to win against a good team like Saginaw. To come back after being down 1-0 was amazing.”

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NMU 3, Purdue Northwest 0

On Sunday in Hammond, Indiana, the Wildcats worked out any early frustrations they had by scoring three second-half goals.

NMU was kept off the scoreboard in the first 45 minutes despite outshooting the Pride 8-2, also getting the only two shots in the half that were on target.

“When we didn’t get one in the first half, during halftime we talked about how we need to go harder and work for every ball to get this done,” NMU junior forward Isabelle Brusilow said.

She opened the scoring less than five minutes into the second half, taking advantage of a perfect crossing pass from teammate Caroline Halonen, according to NMU Sports Information.

“I saw the cross coming from Caroline and knew I needed to put it away,” Brusilow said. “It shows when we work together, we find a way to win no matter what.”

Then in the 73rd minute, Halonen found herself in another scoring situation, beating a defender one-on-one and sending a cross to Brenna Musser, who also netted her third goal this fall.

And sophomore Stephanie Trujillo got her first goal this season with less than three minutes to go, taking a corner kick from Caitlyn Trombley to set it up.

Kreps finished with six saves, all in the second half, to record her 17th career win and move into second place for victories in NMU program history.

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