NMU Women’s Soccer beat Davenport 2-0 last Friday, Oct. 7, in another great defensive showing from the Wildcats. The team has only allowed nine total goals this season while scoring 36 against opponents. Rachael Erste and Brenna Musser each scored a goal in the win for the Cats, both tallying their fourth goal of the season.

“I thought it was a good weekend all around just from a team perspective and the team’s performance,” Coach Jon Sandoval said. “I thought the players had a great weekend of training and really took what we did on the training ground and implemented it in the match.” 

NMU had a quick turnaround as they faced off against No. 6 Grand Valley last Sunday in a showdown against two of the top teams in the GLIAC. The Wildcats held their own and showed they were able to hang with the best of them. Although the game ended in a 0-0 tie, the team was not happy with the result, according to Sandoval.

“There are levels to this and that is the next level,” Sandoval said. “Getting to those wins against a Top 10 or Top 5 team in the country is ultimately what we’re striving for, and I think there was a level of dissatisfaction from the group.” 

The Wildcats have worked very hard to keep themselves looking different and unpredictable to opponents each week, and the effort from the players and the coaching staff has shown. NMU has adjusted during this five-game stretch, having only scored four goals in that period as opposed to 32 in the first eight games. They still went 1-1-3 in the last five matches despite the offensive drought.

“I have thought they have really done a great job at taking what we do within the week and plugging into the weekend matches, so we couldn’t be prouder of the effort that they put in,” Sandoval said.

NMU will play Purdue Northwest on Friday, Oct. 14 and UW-Parkside for Senior Day on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. as the ‘Cats send off a great senior class that has been here since Sandoval took over the program.

Rachael Erste, Shenae Kreps, Natalie Stampfly and Evelyn Flor will all be honored for their hard work and leadership on and off the field.

“Their legacy is unknown right now because they’re not going to be defined by what they’ve done over these last four years, I think they’re going to go on to bigger and better things,” Sandoval said. “And although this chapter may be closing for them, I think at the end of it, looking back at what they’ve done over the course of their life, the best is still yet to come.”