Rosen sets records in 7-1 win by Wildcats men’s soccer
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MARQUETTE -- Maybe complementing each other, Luca Rosen could bask in the glory of a big Northern Michigan University men's soccer victory, while the Wildcats could bask in all the recognition their senior captain is getting.
Rosen was named Offensive Player of the Week in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after leading Northern to a big 7-1 nonconference victory over Jamestown on Saturday at the NMU Soccer Field.
Rosen not only received that recognition, but broke a number of records -- both for a game and in a career -- with his four-goal output.
For the day, he became the first Wildcat to ever score four goals in a single contest, also setting a record with eight points, the fastest two goals to start a game just 2 minutes and 29 seconds in, and a similar record for fastest three goals to start by the 9:58 mark.
Then there were the career numbers. He was just three back of Sam Popp's total of 16 goals he scored in the program's first three varsity years of 2016-18, and of course, four goals meant he broke that by one to reach 17.
"I knew coming into (Saturday) I needed four goals, but I thought, 'Ah, maybe not today,' and maybe I would have saved it for later in the season, but I found a way to do it," Rosen said postgame in an NMU Sports Information news release about the GLIAC honor. "And it was special to do it at home. I would much rather have done it here than away, and with all the home fans, it was really awesome. Great support today, as always."
Head coach Alex Fatovic knew Rosen had it in him.
"No surprise here, a well deserved award for an epic day," the coach said in the same NMU SI release. "Four goals and the all-time NMU scoring record. What a day Luca had, and the scary thing is we know he's actually capable of more."
Rosen isn't done with the record book -- he's only one point from tying Popp's record career point total of 40, and with Saturday's output, leads NCAA Division II nationally in goals and points while sitting second in shots on goal with 14.
Rosen didn't waste much time tying the record, though he took an extra 50 minutes of clock time to actually break Popp's record.
Rosen scored three seconds apart at the 2:26 and 2:29 marks, then added his next for the hat trick at 9:58 for a 3-0 lead. He became the third Wildcat, following Calum Olpin and Ryan Palmbaum, to score goals in three straight games at NMU.
Nevertheless, Rosen did miss one record, which was Palmbaum scoring three goals in 3:45 vs. Upper Iowa in 2019.
Rosen's fourth goal came in the 61st minute, returning the Wildcats' lead to three, 4-1, after Jamestown's Johannes Kappeler scored with time winding down in the first half.
The first three were quite impressive, each on "textbook one-touch passing plays through three men," according to NMU SI.
Ian Weimer assisted on all three goals, with Vinni DaSilva also assisting on the last two and Sergio Cano Castro on the first.
"I think it's our warm-up," Rosen said in a separate NMU SI release about the game. "We have a very important warmup that gets us to match speed right away, so being able to step into the game ready to go instead of working up to match pace has been really important."
His final goal was assisted by Cano Castro, which wasn't his last one as he also got his third helper of the day on the final goal scored by Noah Preston-Watkins with about 16 minutes left.
"He's amazing," assistant coach Chance Vang said in the NMU SI report about Rosen. Vang took over duties as head coach in the wake of Alex Fatovic’s one-game suspension from last Sunday for drawing a red card. "We're all so proud of him and all the hard work he puts in, and it shows on the field."
After Rosen made it 4-1, Cano Castro scored his own goal, giving him five points on a goal and three assists, while Sam Pilgrim also scored just 44 seconds before Preston-Watkins' final tally.
The three assists by Cano Castro and Weimer tie Northern's single-game record set by Sveinn Karlsson in 2016.
Other stats were just as dominant as the score for the Wildcats -- a 23-5 edge in all shots and 9-3 in shots on goal.
Redshirt freshman Carson Shene made his regular season debut for NMU in goal, making two saves.
Now at 3-2, Northern opens GLIAC play on the road for the next two weeks, playing four games starting with a contest at University Center located between Bay City and Saginaw to take on Saginaw Valley State at 2 p.m. Friday.
The Wildcats return home to face Purdue Northwest at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2.
Story contents based on two Northern Michigan University Sports Information press releases reviewing the game and the
Northern Michigan University's Luca Rosen celebrates a goal during a Wildcats' match played at the NMU Soccer Field earlier this season. (Photo courtesy NMU)