On a freezing Halloween weekend drenched in rain and wind, the NMU women’s soccer team bared their fangs and clawed at history books. The Wildcats delivered their first six-point weekend of the season, hammering Roosevelt 5-1 on Friday before squeezing past Parkside 1-0 on Sunday’s senior day to cap off a perfect weekend at home.
“You think about how a season progresses and the things you want to see out of your team,” she said. “I think I said it early on — it’s a group that never gives up and never quits. This weekend, we added a lot of quality to that. We scored the most goals we have all season, and they were good goals too.”
The weekend kicked off in wild fashion against Roosevelt. Playing through 34-degree temperatures and sideways rain, the Wildcats (6-7-5, 6-6-2 GLIAC) dominated possession, holding the ball 61% of the time and 77% of that in the attacking half. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Alyse Daavettila and Addison Frantti, outshooting the Lakers 14-6.
Though Roosevelt struggled one back early in the second half, NMU’s response was emphatic. Hannah Kastamo, Kenna Alexander, and Gretchen Ellis all found the back of the net to seal a commanding 5-1 victory – the team’s most explosive offensive showing of the season.
Egolf said the reaction to conceding a goal revealed a lot about her group. “Bit of a hiccup conceding that one early in the second half — we were disappointed with that — but the response was great,” she said. “That’s a sign of maturity and belief in each other.”
On senior Sunday, with the wind howling off Lake Superior and the temperature barely above freezing, NMU gutted out a 1-0 win over a tough Parkside opponent. The lone goal came from senior captain Alexander, who pounced on a loose ball in the box and buried it in the top corner — a storybook ending to her home career.
Egolf said Alexander’s goal “was an encapsulation of the entire team’s performance — super gritty and tough, and everyone gave everything they had.” It was also the second straight game-winner for Alexander, who scored again days later at Purdue Northwest to lift the Wildcats to a 1-0 win and back-to-back shutouts to close the regular season.
Senior goalkeeper Jillian Thompson also delivered under pressure, earning shutouts in both weekend games and standing tall when called upon. Egolf praised Thompson’s composure, noting that “we haven’t had a lot of those this season, so nothing more special than getting one of those on senior day. She had some things to do, our defense had some things to defend, and it
was a well-earned shutout.”
Sunday’s win was a team-wide effort from the senior class. Kastamo logged 84 minutes and created several dangerous chances, while Addison Wargo played the full 90 as the team’s defensive anchor. Olivia Moreno added valuable minutes off the bench, rounding out a group that has meant everything to the program’s growth.
“This group has put a lot of building blocks in place that we want future teams to springboard off of,” Egolf said. “They care a lot, and they’ve given a lot to this program. For our team to get this win on senior day is a great ode to them.”
After finishing the weekend with another 1-0 win at Purdue Northwest, the Wildcats closed the regular season at 6-7-5 overall (6-6-2 GLIAC), earning their fifth-place spot heading into the postseason. Alexander’s late-season surge (four goals and an assist in the final four matches) and Thompson’s back-to-back clean sheets have NMU playing their best soccer at the most opportune time.
Reflecting on the weekend, Egolf said it all came down to perseverance and belief. “To remember your senior day like that is incredible,” she said. “The goal from Kenna was great, but just as important, we kept the ball out of our net – something we struggled with early in the year. All around, it was a fantastic team performance, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
