Blanking their U.P. rival: Wildcats women’s soccer posts 4-0 shutout at MTU
Madison Bilbia scores Northern Michigan University’s second goal against Michigan Tech at Kearly Stadium in Houghton on Sunday. (Photo courtesy NMU)
Several Northern Michigan University women's soccer players celebrate during a game played at Michigan Tech on Sunday. (Photo courtesy NMU)
Madison Bilbia scores Northern Michigan University’s second goal against Michigan Tech at Kearly Stadium in Houghton on Sunday. (Photo courtesy NMU)
Several Northern Michigan University women's soccer players celebrate during a game played at Michigan Tech on Sunday. (Photo courtesy NMU)
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HOUGHTON -- The women's soccer team at Northern Michigan University ended its five-game road swing with a flourish on Sunday, blanking heated Upper Peninsula rival Michigan Tech 4-0 on Sunday at Kearly Stadium in Houghton.
While the result might not be unexpected with the Huskies struggling this season -- they're now 0-10-1 overall and have scored just two goals in those 11 games -- rivalry games traditionally bring out the best in teams when records often become meaningless.
And the Wildcats finished off this road "trip" with a 3-1-1 record to improve to 6-3-2 overall and 3-3-1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
They're tied with Davenport for fifth place with 10 points in the 10-team conference, only one point behind fourth-place Wayne State (3-1-2 GLIAC) and two points in arrears to third-place Wisconsin-Parkside (4-3 GLIAC). Tech is 0-6-1 in the GLIAC and in last place.
Sunday's four goals match Northern's highest output of the season that was first set the previous game, a 4-1 victory at second-place Saginaw Valley State exactly one week earlier.
"We knew this was going to be a hard-fought game, and Tech gave us everything we could handle in the first 10 minutes," Wildcats head coach Erin Egolf said in an NMU Sports Information news release detailing the game. "Once we settled into the game, we were in control.
"Our two first-half goals in back-to-back minutes were tremendous, we got a third early in the second half and put it away, and then our fourth goal was quality as well.
"This was a full team performance; the girls were up for it and delivered. Super thrilled for them, and happy with how this sets us up for the back half of our conference schedule."
The four assists, 12 points, 25 total shots and 16 shots on goal either equaled or set season highs, too.
But there was no scoring for nearly 26 minutes to start. Freshman midfielder Sole Corley broke the 0-0 tie and senior forward Madison Bilbia added insurance less than 40 seconds later to quickly make it 2-0.
Both goals were called "highlight-reel goals" by NMU SI at the 25:55 and 26:33 marks, just a bit past the midpoint of the first half.
Getting her second goal of the season, Corley finished off a pretty passing play from junior forward Alyse Daavettila and senior defender Ava Buhlman, while Bilbia, scoring her fourth, received a perfect cross from junior forward Marena Maceroni before cutting back onto her right foot and hammering the ball home, according to the NMU SI account.
The lead increased to 3-0 just 1:51 into the second half when junior defender and team captain Madalyn Nissen converted a penalty kick for her second collegiate goal, which she also did at Wayne State on Sept. 25.
And Northern's final goal was the first of the season for sophomore midfielder Ema Delgado, who took a pass from junior defender Riley Hill. Hill had taken a deep ball from a free kick, while Delgado took the ball once she had it and knocked it directly in.
With NMU holding a 25-14 advantage in total shots and 16-5 in shots on goal, Wildcats sophomore goalkeeper Carly Sides made five saves for her third shutout of the season. MTU split net duties between Bri Barrows, who allowed three goals while making three saves, and Natalie Miller, who allowed one goal and had nine stops.
Defense has been the hallmark of Northern's recent success on the road, with just four goals allowed these past five games.
The Wildcats now get some well-deserved time at the NMU Soccer Field just as cooler weather might make home field a bigger advantage.
Northern plays its next five at home, followed by a pair on the road leading up to the end of the regular season on Halloween.
The homestand includes two games in the next week -- vs. Purdue Northwest at 3 p.m. Friday and vs. Roosevelt at noon Sunday. Including the game after that, a noon rematch on Sunday, Oct. 18, vs. Tech, and the Wildcats get a chance to "fatten up" on the GLIAC's bottom three teams.
Story contents based on a Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the game. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.