North Michigan News

The Northern Michigan University (NMU) women's soccer team has achieved a significant milestone by securing back-to-back Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) postseason championships. The Wildcats triumphed over Saginaw Valley with a 3-0 victory, marking the first time in the program's history that they have won consecutive regular season and postseason titles.

As the final whistle blew, the NMU bench celebrated alongside enthusiastic fans who rushed onto the field. Acting head coach Natalie Stampfly expressed her pride in the team's accomplishment: "Nothing short of amazing," she said. "This is a position I've never been in as a player or a coach, and just seeing them out there, this team deserves this really special moment."

The Wildcats took control early in the match, scoring two goals in the first half and adding another shortly after halftime. Stampfly highlighted the players' determination: "We talked about it on Friday as well, but it was more the second half again... They came out strong in the second half and you could just tell that they really wanted it."

Justina L'Esperance played a pivotal role by scoring two of NMU's goals, bringing her season total to 15 goals and 37 points. She is now close to breaking NMU's single-season records set by Renee LeBlanc in 2005. Reflecting on her return from injury last year, L'Esperance stated: "[Being a part of this team] means everything to me... Every game someone steps up and puts their teammates in good situations."

Molly Pistorius also contributed significantly with a game-winning goal and an assist on L'Esperance's second goal. Despite not matching her previous goal totals, Pistorius has achieved a career-high of 11 assists this season. She commented on the team's unity: "It just feels amazing... it's a team effort, and it really proved that we fight and play for each other."

Goalkeeper Sally Patton maintained a clean sheet with four saves, marking her sixth shutout of the season. The Wildcats have kept opponents scoreless 11 times this year and scored 12 goals over three postseason games.

The team now looks forward to learning their fate in the NCAA tournament during the selection show at 7 p.m. ET on NCAA.com. Stampfly noted their readiness: "We've put together two really good games since Friday... We have a lot of experience with our upperclassmen, and they're ready to be back [in the NCAA tournament]."

In their latest match against Saginaw Valley, NMU quickly established dominance with an early goal from Pistorius followed by another from L'Esperance before halftime. L'Esperance secured her second goal soon after halftime with assistance from Pistorius.