Scoring comes too little, too late for Wildcat women
Trending
MARQUETTE -- While the offense was there all game, the beginnings of any scoring came too late to help avert a 2-1 loss by the women's soccer team at Northern Michigan University to Roosevelt on Friday.
The Wildcats put up a dozen shots in the first half and finished with 20, but didn't knock home their only goal until 1:52 remained.
NMU slipped to 3-3-1 overall and 0-3 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while the Lakers picked up their first win, improving to 1-4-2 and 1-2.
With all the prolific shot-taking -- and getting all the corner kicks awarded in the first half and seven of the eight in the game -- Northern also eked out a win in the shots-on-goal battle, ahead 5-2 in the first half and behind 3-2 after intermission for an overall advantage of 7-5.
The game remained scoreless until the 62nd minute, when Roosevelt's Bell Perry converted a penalty kick. Then barely more than five minutes later, the Lakers' Aaliyah Leanos scored from well outside the box, using her left foot to find the upper left corner of the net past NMU netminder Carly Sides' outstretched hand, according to a game report from NMU Sports Information.
Sides finished with three saves, while Roosevelt goalie Kaylee Sarnicola had six.
Sophomore Gretchen Ellis broke the seal on the Wildcats' GLIAC season, scoring for the first time in their 256th minute of conference play. Northern was shutout 3-0 by national No. 5 Grand Valley State and 2-0 by league No. 2 Saginaw Valley State last weekend at home.
Among NMU's players, Sides played the entire 90 minutes, with defenders Irene Kiilunen and Riley Hill each getting in 89 minutes.
Northern's Madison Bilbia got off four shots, while Addison Frantti, Alyse Daavettila, Sole Corley and Ema Delgado each had three. Corley and Daavettila had two shots on goal apiece.
After playing a game at Wisconsin-Parkside on Sunday, the Wildcats continue their current road trip with contests at Wayne State on Friday, Saginaw Valley State on Sunday and Michigan Tech on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Their next home game is at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, vs. Purdue Northwest.
Story contents based on a
Northern Michigan University Irene Kiilunen winds up to make a long pass during a women's soccer game played at Roosevelt in Arlington Heights, Ill., on Friday. (Photo courtesy NMU)