Across the front from left, Northern Michigan University’s Calihan Bearden looks to control a corner kick against Wisconsin-Parkside at the NMU Soccer Field on Oct. 8. (Photo courtesy Daryl T. Jarvinen)

MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University has unveiled the fall schedule for its women’s soccer team as these Wildcats are coming off their first back-to-back winning seasons in a decade.

NMU was 11-8-1 last fall, marking consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2010 and 2011. The 11 wins also tied for third most in program history.

Northern opens next season with four nonconference games against Minnesota schools, two at home and two on the road. Trips to St. Cloud State on Aug. 25 and Minnesota-Duluth on Aug. 27 are followed by a Labor Day weekend homestand against Bemidji State on Sept. 2 and Minnesota-Crookston on Sept. 4.

The remainder of the season is the Wildcats’ 14-game GLIAC schedule right through October. NMU plays home or away weekends each Friday and Sunday, except when Michigan Tech is on the schedule when only one game a weekend is played.

Northern opens league play at Wisconsin-Parkside on Sept. 9 and at Purdue Northwest on Sept. 11, then comes home to host Ferris State on Sept. 16 and Saginaw Valley State on Sept. 18.

There’s another road weekend at Grand Valley State on Sept. 23 and at Davenport on Sept. 25 before the Wildcats’ longest homestand of the season, five games spanning three weekends.

The extended stay in Marquette begins with NMU’s home game against Michigan Tech on Friday, Sept. 30, then back-to-back Friday-Sunday weekends — against Davenport on Oct. 7, GVSU on Oct. 9, Purdue NW on Oct. 14 and Parkside on Oct. 16.

Finally, Northern ends the regular season with three road contests, going to SVSU on Oct. 21, to Ferris on Oct. 23 and to Michigan Tech on Friday, Oct. 28.

The GLIAC invited all eight women’s soccer-playing schools into its postseason tournament last fall and would be expected to do that again in the upcoming campaign, though nothing has been announced.

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