Playing under 90 degree temperatures through the weekend, the Northern Michigan University Men’s Soccer team fell short on the road against Purdue Northwest University 2-1 and to Davenport University 2-0.
Wildcats head coach David Poggi said the team played solid through both games, but didn’t prepare enough for the heat.
“Us Northerners weren’t ready for that type of heat,” Poggi said. “We played two good opponents, but the results weren’t as great as we thought it would be.”
Junior forward Nic Harenda said the team did show progression while adapting to playing in non-ideal conditions.
“Heat played a huge factor and we probably started off slow in both games because of it,” Harenda said. “But overall, I felt we did a good job sticking together as a team through both games.”
At Purdue Northwest , both offenses got off to a quick start, combining for nine shots in the first 21 minutes. The ninth shot would result in a PNW goal from Enrique Serna at 21:32. The Wildcats were held without a shot with the Pride taking a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, the Pride put up their second goal of the game with Djordje Cancarevic scoring on a long goal from 40 yards out. The Wildcats were held without a shot for a majority of the second half, but the Wildcats scored their lone goal from sophomore defender Lewis Murray at 77:25, his first goal of the season and of his career.
Sophomore goalkeeper Fillippo Torrelli faced four shots on goal and recorded two saves in the game.
Sophomore midfielder Nick Metcalfe said it was the lack of offense which set the team back at Purdue Northwest.
“We just didn’t get things going offensively,” Metcalfe said. “In the second half, they scored a goal and we got one back and both of us were on their heels but couldn’t get another one back in.”
At Davenport, neither team was able to record a shot in the opening 15 minutes. The Panthers shut down the Wildcats offensively, giving out five shots of seven for Davenport. NMU wasn’t able to record a shot after halftime.
The Panthers got on the board in the second half, with a header goal from Cam Cavanagh near the 70-minute mark. The Panthers added on another goal to ice the game at 2-0. Only two shots were recorded for NMU, one each from junior defender Kevin Hoof and forward Sam Popp.
During the first half at Davenport, Torelli was ejected at 19:41 after receiving a red card foul. Fellow sophomore goalkeeper Brayden Willinski replaced Torelli at net and recorded five saves while facing seven shots on-goal during 70 minutes of play. .
“It was huge because it took away our chance to attack, and losing a man really limited us to help generate some offense,” Harenda said on the foul.
The team will be looking for their first home win this weekend, and Poggi is eager to get that win and more.
“Being at home is always better,” Poggi said. “We always talked about winning at home, but in this conference, we need to win these type of games.”
Metcalfe said that the team is excited and eager to get that win as well.
“We have two big games this weekend and we’re definitely going into the games seeking good results from them. We just gotta do what we can and get wins out of them,” Metcalfe said.
The Wildcats will host a pair of home match ups against the Tiffin University Dragons Friday and the Ashland University
Eagles Sunday.
