Wildcat soccer is officially back with the NMU Women’s soccer team returning to the field this past weekend. The women’s Wildcat team hosted two teams from Minnesota: St. Cloud and Minnesota Duluth. 

The first game of the season for the Wildcats was against St. Cloud State University, a team the Wildcats are very familiar with, as these teams face off against one another each year. The last time they met, the Wildcats were left with a sour taste in their mouths as they lost to St. Cloud 1-2. This year, the Cats were eager to get back on the field to face off in a rematch.

Fortunately for the Wildcats, they were able to control the ball and hold St. Cloud to only one goal throughout the game. Unfortunately, the Wildcats were also only able to score one goal. Thus, the Wildcats ended the game in a tie, 1-1. Coming up with the goal for the Cats was junior forward Isabella Lorens, who was assisted by fellow forward, freshman Lily Senese. 

“I think we battled, and I think that game was probably a deserved result for both sides. I think it was pretty even. But yeah, it was a very physical battle and I imagine that’s what we’re going to see a lot of this season,” said new head coach Erin Egolf. 

After tying the season opener to St. Cloud, the team turned its focus to its next game, as Minnesota Duluth is a strong competitor. Again, Duluth is not a new team to the Wildcats, as last year the team was able to secure the win 6-1. 

This time around, the team fought hard and controlled the ball on defense, allowing zero goals by Duluth. Junior goalkeeper Jillian Thompson had three saves on the day. The team was unable to get the offense moving as they were also unable to score.

“Jill stepped into a job that we needed somebody to really fulfill.  I think we had question marks coming into the season of who that would be, and it’s not an easy thing to do…I’m really proud of her for stepping into both of those games…I also think she’s doing a great job of communication, leading with her voice.  I think the girls are very comfortable with her back there,” Egolf said.

Again, the Wildcats ended the game in a tie after 90 minutes of play, with the final score of the game coming in at 0-0. 

“First two real games of the season, we’re still in the phase of finding ourselves…I think defensively we’re really good for the most part…two games in three days and we’re learning what it takes to compete at this level. Regardless of who the opponent is, they’re all going to be fit, athletic, and up for it,“ Egolf said. 

After the opening weekend ending in two draws, the team is now shifting its focus to this week’s slate of games. No traveling again for the team this week as they will be hosting both Northwood and Cedarville. First, the team will take on Northwood, whom the team has previously faced last year, where the game ended with Northwood tying the game with the Wildcats. After taking on Northwood on Thursday, the Wildcats will take the field again on Saturday against Cedarville, whom they have also played in years previous. Last year, the Cats got the win in a shutout game, 3-0. 

“We’re really looking at the Northwood game right now. get through that one, perform the best we can, and then we’ll flip the page to Cedarville. So, one game at a time, one performance at a time, one practice at a time,” Egolf said.