This past weekend, the NMU Women’s Soccer team came out on top of both of their at-home games, setting the tone for the rest of the season.
“It was very rewarding to see a good step forward in the St. Cloud game,” Head Coach Jon Sandoval said. “[We] still [have] a long way to go in terms of making sure we develop those good habits … and so getting back to some of those things that really made us good last year, [is] going to be really important for this week’s training.”
NMU kicked off the season by hosting Minnesota-Duluth last Thursday, Aug. 31, coming out on top with the final score of 4-3. Three out of the four goals scored in the game came from forward Molly Pistorius, with the fourth goal coming from another forward, Megan Kirby.
The team also got a win in their game on Saturday when they hosted St. Cloud State, with the ‘Cats scoring big in the 3-0 shutout to round out the weekend. Forward Stephanie Trujillo scored one goal and forward Hannah Kastamo scored the other two. Despite having a near-miss goal that the refs did not count, four minutes later the team bounced back and scored a goal that sealed their second win.
“The group is resilient, they’re able to bounce back pretty quick, they’re able to be mentally tough in the moment and to reset and I think it’s something you see within the communication on the field … they all got together and talked about the next moment,” Sandoval said. “It’s a testament to the leadership on the field.”
The Wildcats’ next two games are against Lewis and Illinois Springfield, two teams with which they are not the most familiar. Sandoval stressed how much training will play into how they prepare for the upcoming road trip and believes the team is ready for the challenge.
“These are two opponents that are going to be very tough. They’re gritty, they compete …. And so, they are very important to us,” Sandoval said. “If you take care of the ones at home, the road has a little bit less pressure.”
This weekend, the Wildcats are traveling to Illinois to play Lewis on Friday, Sept. 8, at 5 p.m. followed by a game against Illinois Springfield on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m.
