The Wildcats improved to 7-2 overall following their opening match in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

NMU has what at least on the surface looks like a much tougher task ahead, taking on five-time defending GLIAC regular-season and tournament champion Grand Valley State in Allendale at 5 p.m. Friday. However, the Lakers are a quite uncharacteristic 0-7 to start the season, all in nonconference encounters.

Northern also travels to Grand Rapids to take on Davenport two days later at 1 p.m. Sunday.

On Friday in the dome, the Wildcats scored five unanswered goals in the game’s first six minutes before the Cardinals (1-7, 0-2 GLIAC) got their lone goal, then NMU plunked in the game’s final 18 scores for one of their highest-scoring games in program history.

Northern Michigan University’s Liliana Fleming, center, tries to rein in a loose ball during a GLIAC women’s lacrosse game played against Saginaw Valley State at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Friday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

Not surprisingly, Northern’s resident expert of rewriting its record books, junior Josie Lakosky, notched game highs of eight goals, three assists and 11 points as she is already near the top of most single-season and many career records at NMU despite playing a little more than two seasons in Marquette.

Teammate Hannah Jabas added four goals and an assist, while Avery Lorinser had three goals and Emily Radke two.

NMU’s Liliana Fleming, Taylor Roberts, Riley Wicklund, Katelyn Wozney, Hannah Grimm and Annabelle Johnson each had a goal, while Johnson, Vanessa Carrico and Evita Weiche had one assist apiece.

Flemming and Wicklund each scored their first goals of the season.

Wildcats netminders Lauren Esposito and Lauren Clark each took a half in front of their team’s goal, totaling three saves between them.

Northern dominated just about all the team statistics, for instance outshooting SVSU 46-6 overall and 36-4 in shots on goal. There was also a 26-9 edge in ground balls, 23-2 in draw controls and 17-5 in caused turnovers.

While Lakosky had terrific numbers across the board with five draw controls, five caused turnovers and five ground balls, the Wildcats’ Taylor Roberts had an incredible 12 draw controls, a team season high and her career high.

Carrico also had four ground balls, while Johnson and Natalie Thomas three apiece. Thomas also had three caused turnovers and Lorinser two, while Weiche made four draw controls.

Lakosky scored three of NMU’s first five goals, all coming in the game’s first 4 1/2 minutes, then had three more in a span from the last minute of the first quarter through the first nine minutes of the second period.

NMU held a 9-1 lead after one quarter and 16-1 lead at halftime.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the game. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.