Northern Michigan University’s Alessandro Scialanga, front, blocks Quincy’s Rennato Ramos from getting possession of the ball during their college men’s soccer game played at the NMU Soccer Field on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

By Journal Sports Staff

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University men’s soccer team couldn’t generate any productive offense on a GLIAC road trip over the weekend, losing a pair of 1-0 games at Purdue Northwest and Wisconsin-Parkside.

The Wildcats, now 2-5-1 overall and 1-3 in conference, continue on the road headed further west this weekend, playing in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, against nonleague foe Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 8 p.m. EDT Thursday and in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to face GLIAC counterpart St. Cloud State at 1 p.m. EDT Sunday.

NMU returns home the following weekend to play conference foes Parkside on Oct. 6 and Purdue NW on Oct. 8.

Here is a roundup of last weekend’s action:

Purdue NW 1, NMU 0

On Friday afternoon in Hammond, Indiana, Northern netminder Florian Palmowski made two saves, but it wasn’t enough to avert the loss to undefeated PNW (4-0-3, 1-0-1 GLIAC).

The Pride’s defense suffocated the Wildcats, who couldn’t even get off a shot, let alone a shot on goal. Meanwhile Purdue took 11 shots, including four in the first 10 minutes and six in the first half. That was when the game’s only score came by GLIAC leading scorer Hugo Lorenzo, who now has seven goals.

In the 21st minute, Lorenzo received a pass from Flavio Nardecchia and one-touch volleyed the ball into the bottom left corner of the net, according to a game report from NMU Sports Information.

NMU was awarded a free kick later in the half, but after Jan Hoffman played the ball into the box to a streaking Noah Johnson, Johnson was unable to reach the ball for a header.

Northern had another chance on a free kick in the second half, but couldn’t get a solid foot on the ball after sending the ball into the box.

Soon after, Palmowski made an excellent diving save off a dangerous chance to keep it a one-goal game, according to NMU SI. Lorenzo had another goal opportunity that Palmowski also deflected, while Hoffmann had an excellent chance for a shot on target that became a corner kick. The latter play saw the ball roll through in front of the PNW net without Northern getting a shot.

In the final five minutes, the Pride generated a 3-on-1 situation but NMU’s Kalvin Glodz made a spectacular save to stop the chance, according to NMU SI.

The Wildcats finished with four corner kicks to just one for PNW.

Wis.-Parkside 1, NMU 0

On Sunday afternoon at Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Wildcats kept the game scoreless until the final 10 1/2 minutes, when the Rangers’ Lars Popp followed up his team’s fifth corner kick as he was unchecked in the box and took the curling kick and headed it in, according to NMU SI.

NMU was outshot 18-11 but only 7-5 in shots on goal against a team that made it to the third round of the NCAA Division II tournament last year.

“Absolutely gutted for the boys,” Northern head coach Alex Fatovic said in an NMU SI account of the game. “They gave everything they had (Sunday) and deserved more out of that match.

“I’m very proud of this group of guys despite the tough stretch we are in. We left Parkside with our heads up and ready for the next test.

“It’s not going to get any easier, but I have full faith our boys will start turning these results in our favor.”

Hoffmann led Northern with three shots, while teammates Fernando Abascal and Finn van den Berg each had two.

Palmowski made five saves as UWP finished with six corner kicks and NMU had just one.

Abascal had the first good opportunity to score early on when he was wide open inside the 18-yard box, but the officials’ flag came up signaling offsides.

Soon after, he got another break, cutting through Parkside’s defense with a good flick off his left foot, beating Rangers goalkeeper Daniyal Rana only to have the ball trickle inches outside the post, according to NMU SI.

With around 10 minutes left in the opening half, Parkside’s Alejandro Martinez went up all alone against Palmowski, who came out to cut down the angle and make a spectacular save.

Palmowski again bailed out his teammates early in the second half when the NMU netminder fully extended with his left hand to deflect a shot above the bar.

In this wide-open affair, Abascal had another chance when teammate Jaziel Sainze de Vilmorin sent a cross into the box that Abascal headed right into Rana’s chest.

Another Wildcat, Isaac Ward, had what NMU SI called the best scoring opportunity of the game when he received a perfect through ball from Cian Tunney. Ward was 1-on-1 with Rana down the right side, took a great strike from just outside the keeper’s box before Rana miraculously got a hand out to deflect it.

The hits just kept coming NMU’s way as Logan Lazar came off the bench to generate another chance in the final 15 minutes. Lazar also found himself alone on the right side, similar to Ward, and got off a quality shot that was again knocked away.

About five minutes after that came the game’s only score by UWP’s Popp.

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