Northern Michigan University’s Addison Frantti, right, blocks Wisconsin-Parkside's Makayla Wesemann from getting to the ball during their GLIAC game played at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette on Sunday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

HAMMOND, Ind. — It wasn’t going to make any difference in the standings, but maybe the extra rest will help the women’s soccer team at Northern Michigan University.

With the other eight teams in the conference completing their regular seasons today, the Wildcats finished up that business a bit earlier on Thursday afternoon with a 1-0 victory in Hammond, Indiana, over Purdue Northwest.

Not playing today will cost Northern a chance to pick up another three points with a win, but at this point, the Wildcats are more than three points clear of any teams both ahead of and behind them.

Instead, they’ll get two extra days rest before the eight-team tournament in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference kicks off with the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

NMU is locked into fifth place, meaning a road game at the fourth-place team, which will be either current third-place Wisconsin-Parkside or fourth-place Ferris State, who are separated by only a single point entering today.

Northern has 20 points with its 6-6-2 conference and 6-7-5 overall records, while Parkside (8-4-1 GLIAC) has 25 points and Ferris (7-3-3 GLIAC) 24.

Behind the Wildcats, current sixth-place Davenport (4-8-1 GLIAC) only has 13 points, seven behind NMU.

All of this meant Thursday’s contest was just a good tuneup for Northern, which got to play another game where wind was a factor, something that could occur again Tuesday.

The wind at their backs in the opening half, NMU scored the game’s only goal in the 37th minute.

The Wildcats’ Irene Kiilunen sent was what called by NMU Sports Information in its report a massive free kick into the box, with the wind-aided ball not handled cleanly by Pride goaltender Meta Fischer. It ended up at the feet of Northern’s Kenna Alexander, who knocked it into a wide-open net.

Alexander bagged her second straight game winner, and is peaking when the Wildcats need it as she has four goals and an assist in the last four games.

Despite the differences in wind each half, NMU outshot their hosts in both halves for a 14-7 advantage in total shots and 5-3 edge in shots on goal. Senior Jillian Thompson made three saves in the Northern net as Fischer had four.

The Wildcats also took five of the game’s six corner kicks as PNW was called for more fouls, 10-7, and also the game’s lone yellow card.

Northern’s Madison Bilbia took the most shots of any player, four, while Alexander was the lone player on either side with multiple shots on goal with two.

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.