Northern Michigan University’s Madison Bilbia kicks the ball high and back to a teammate during a college women’s soccer game played against Cedarville at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — Tie games in sports don’t sound like much fun, and scoreless deadlocks even less so, but considering the quality of opponent the Northern Michigan University women’s soccer team was playing, the draw might not be so bad.

The Wildcats played 0-0 against Cedarville on Saturday afternoon at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette, but that’s not so bad considering the Yellow Jackets are the No. 5 ranked team in the Midwest Region for NCAA Division II tournament purposes.

This was NMU’s second scoreless tie in four games as Northern has managed just one goal so far, that coming in a 1-1 tie to open the season vs. St. Cloud State.

The Wildcats now have an unusual record of 0-1-3 entering the conference season this week with their first road game in Chicago against Roosevelt at 2 p.m. EDT Friday.

They follow it up with another game at 1 p.m. EDT Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, vs. Wisconsin-Parkside before returning home to host Grand Valley State at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26.

On Saturday, Northern goalkeeper Jillian Thompson earned her second shutout of the season and matched her season high with five saves.

NMU had a pair of quality scoring chances in a dominant first half — Madison Bilbia was unlucky enough to hit the post four minutes in, while Cedarville netminder Anna Taylor made a brilliant save on a Hannah Kastamo screamer set to go in under the crossbar late in the half.

Before this game, Cedarville (2-1-1) had played three other GLIAC teams, beating Ferris State 1-0, falling to No. 5 Grand Valley 3-2 and taking a decisive 4-1 win at Michigan Tech.

With the Wildcats holding a 10-7 edge in total shots and the Yellow Jackets getting a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal, Bilbia led all Wildcats with four total shots as Kastamo had three, including two on goal.

NMU also took seven of the game’s eight corner kicks, five coming in the first half, and was called for one more foul, 7-6, as no yellow cards were displayed.

In Northern’s first scoring chance just a few minutes in, Madalyn Nissen relayed the ball when her teammates forced a turnover, making a perfect cross to the back post to find an unchecked Bilbia, according to a game account from NMU Sports Information, that was the shot that hit the post.

Later in the half, Kastamo made a terrific individual run and delivered a right-footed hit that was labeled for the upper-right corner, but Taylor made an extraordinary save.

Cedarville then took a free kick just outside the box as the first half was about to end, but the well delivered cross rolled through untouched.

The Jackets got another free kick just outside the 18-yard box near the midpoint of the second half, but Thompson dove to the post to deny that potential goal.

Finally, in the final five minutes the Wildcats had a cross played just inside the box toward the middle before Taylor shut it down.

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