Northern Michigan University attacker Taylor Priestley, top, takes a shot on goal while tightly defended by Concordia-St. Paul's Paige Nicklaus during their GLIAC lacrosse game played at the Superior Dome in Marquette on April 13, 2022. (Journal file photo)

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University women’s lacrosse team looks to build on its 4-2 start this season with its third home game and GLIAC opener in the Superior Dome on Friday afternoon.

The Wildcats host Concordia-St. Paul, a conference affiliate member in the sport, at 5 p.m.

Fans can follow the team @nmuwlax and @NMU_Wildcats on Twitter for continuous updates, or visit the NMU athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and looking under the lacrosse schedule for video, live statistics, ticket information and a game preview.

Northern completed a four-game road trip last weekend, going 2-2 away from home.

After starting the season with a 16-13 home win over Missouri Western State and 21-0 shutout of Concordia-Ann Arbor also at home in late February, the Wildcats ran their record to 4-0 with road wins at Lewis 15-8 and at Quincy 15-4 the first week of this month.

Then they suffered their first losses more recently, falling at nationally ranked No. 20 Maryville 21-11 last Thursday and 16-9 at Rockhurst on Friday.

Northern’s Katelyn Mongold scored a career-high six goals against Maryville, while teammates Kaitlyn Bridger and Minnie Bittell each had a pair. Mongold added four more goals vs. Rockhurst, while Bridger and Dayna Carlson added two apiece.

The CSP Golden Bears are 4-4 with shutouts over Warner University 19-0 and Wisconsin-Stout 21-0. Concordia’s Lauren Sheets leads the GLIAC with 26 goals, scoring at least three goals in five games.

Here are some other notes about the Wildcats compiled by NMU Sports Information:

• Bittell leads NMU with 20 points, including 16 goals, as her points are third in the GLIAC and goals fourth. She has 107 career goals, one off the all-time program-high;

• Mongold and Maddi Bast lead the team with 17 goals each, also tying them for second in the conference;

• Goalie Hannah Melander leads the GLIAC in save percentage at 47.0% and is second in goals against average at 11.44. Her 54 saves are also second in the league;

• Lauryn Rygiel is tied for second in the conference with 26 draw controls;

• Bast earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3. Coming off of an All-GLIAC Second Team honor last season when she had 38 goals as a freshman, Bast got NMU started this season with five goals in the win over Missouri Western State, already attaining a hat trick by the midpoint of the first quarter. She did that on seven total shots for a .714 shooting percentage;

• Melander earned GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 3. In her first collegiate game, Melander stood tall in net for Northern, stopping 12 shots while facing 33 total shots. She recorded a .480 save percentage against Missouri Western State;

• The Wildcats set a record in their second game with the first shutout in program history. It was also the tied for the team’s largest margin of victory, matching a margin first set against Upper Iowa last March.

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