Emily Spiess Athletic Trainer | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
Emily Spiess Athletic Trainer | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
The NMU Wildcats soccer team faced a challenging match against St. Cloud, resulting in a 2-0 defeat despite controlling much of the game. The match took place in Marquette, Michigan, under windy conditions that affected play.
The Wildcats won the coin toss and chose to start with the wind at their backs. This decision initially seemed beneficial as they dominated possession and offensive opportunities in the first half. They outshot St. Cloud 9-1 and had eight corner kicks compared to two for the Huskies. However, St. Cloud's Philip Caputo scored from a penalty kick, which was the only shot on goal for them during this period.
In the second half, NMU continued to press forward but now faced the wind disadvantage. Despite outshooting St. Cloud 11-3 and earning more corner kicks, Tommaso Lami missed a penalty opportunity for NMU, leaving them trailing by one goal. Near the end of the match, Caputo scored again for St. Cloud on a counterattack, sealing their victory at 2-0.
NMU head coach Alex Fatovic commented on his team's performance: "Full credit to my lads," he said. "You'd have to see the game to know the true story. 20 shots to four, 12 corners to three, 70% possession, just everything but the finish."
The loss drops NMU's record to 4-3-1 overall and 1-3-0 in conference play while St. Cloud improves its record to 5-2-0 overall and remains undefeated in conference play with a six-game winning streak.
Key statistics from the match showed NMU outperformed St. Cloud in several areas: they outshot them 20-4 and had more corner kicks (12) than their opponents (3). Fouls were also an issue with St. Cloud being whistled for ten fouls compared to NMU's six.
Tommaso Lami and Alessandro Scialanga led NMU with four shot attempts each during this encounter against St. Cloud—their first home loss against this opponent in program history—bringing their all-time home record against them to 2-1-1.
Looking ahead, NMU will conclude its four-game homestand by hosting Roosevelt University on Sunday, October 6th.
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