Northern Michigan University’s Addison Frantti, front, tries to settle the ball down during a college women’s soccer game played against Cedarville at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette on Sept. 13. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

CHICAGO — Better not to question where all the offense came from — just be glad it did.

The women’s soccer team at Northern Michigan University produced four second-half goals — that’s four times the output of its first four games combined — to take a 4-2 victory at Roosevelt on Friday afternoon.

The Wildcats evened their record at 1-1-3 in their first game of the season in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Lakers slipped to 2-2 and 0-1.

NMU spread the scoring wealth around as four players each scored a goal and six players in all earned points.

In addition, Northern’s onslaught happened in less than 20 minutes on the clock.

All of this got new head coach Erin Egolf her first win at NMU after going through a trio of draws and a 1-0 loss.

Sophomore forward Marena Maceroni led the charge, scoring the game’s final goal with 6:22 left after assisting on teammate Madison Bilbia’s first goal for the team just about 19 minutes earlier.

Despite the relatively big output, the game was scoreless until the 64th minute. That’s when Roosevelt’s Daisy Hernandez-Loya took a throw-in deep in Northern territory for an apparent cross into the box, according to a game account from NMU Sports Information.

That “pass” was mishandled by NMU netminder Jillian Thompson with no opponent around and it slipped in the net.

Previous to that, there was a break taken due to high temperatures on the field, and another would be taken after the scoring started.

Apparently getting scored on must’ve got the Northern players’ attention, as they pumped in two goals to take the lead within two minutes.

The first was Bilbia’s exactly 73 seconds after the Lakers’ goal. Maceroni played a perfectly placed cross into the box that found a cutting Bilbia, who used her thigh to direct it into the net.

Then another 23 seconds later — though it was actually a lot longer than that as the second water break was taken — NMU moved the ball forward again, Gretchen Ellis playing a “lovely” pass to Alyse Daavettila, as NMU SI described it, the latter making her move on Roosevelt keeper Angelina Vazquez.

The Wildcats kept a 2-1 lead for almost nine minutes until the Lakers tied it by converting a Northern turnover when Thompson was unable to play a pass before the home team’s Carisma Rosales got a foot on it. It caromed to Hernandez-Loya, who got her second goal of the game.

But NMU was far from done with its offense. In the 80th minute, Addison Frantti had her header denied by Vazquez just outside the goalkeeper’s box, but it created a corner kick for the Wildcats. Kenna Alexander played the ball to the near post and to Frantti at almost the exact same spot again, but this time she knocked it in for the game-winning goal.

Then Northern added a much-needed insurance goal, considering the way balls were going in the net, not quite four minutes later when Maceroni corralled the ball, then spun toward the goal as her left-footed kick curled into the bottom left corner of the frame.

The scoring onslaught made up for the NMU getting frustrated while dominating play in the game’s first hour. Overall, the Wildcats finished with a big 22-7 advantage in all shots, including 12-3 in shots on goal.

Frantti and teammate Hannah Kastamo each had four shots, three of Frantti’s and one of Kastamo’s on goal. Bilbia and Ellis each had three shots, one on goal apiece, while Daavettila and Olivia Moreno each took two shots, both of Moreno’s on goal as was one of Daavettila’s.

In all, 10 NMU players got off shots with nine of them getting a shot on goal.

Thompson finished with one save while Vazquez had eight.

The Wildcats also took all seven corner kicks awarded even while committing more fouls, 11-7, as there were no yellow cards recorded.

At just the time that Northern would probably like to get back on the pitch right away, they will with a game at 1 p.m. EDT Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to face Wisconsin-Parkside.

These Wildcats then return home for five straight games at the NMU Soccer Field, starting with a 1 p.m. Friday game vs. Grand Valley State and a noon game on Sunday, Sept. 28, vs. Davenport.

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.