UP Gazette

The Northern Michigan University men's soccer team has been picked to finish seventh in the 2025 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) preseason coaches' poll. The results, released ahead of the new season, reflect votes from conference coaches.

Saginaw Valley State topped the poll with 36 points and six first-place votes. Roosevelt followed with 31 points and one first-place vote. Parkside, Davenport, Purdue Northwest, and St. Cloud State were ranked third through sixth, respectively. Northern Michigan rounded out the poll in seventh place.

Head coach Alex Fatovic returns for his fourth season leading the Wildcats, joined by assistant coach Chance Vang in his second year. Last season, NMU missed postseason play but improved their win total to six—four more than in 2023—marking the program’s second-most single-season wins and their highest since 2019.

"[The student-athletes] know they were last place last year, and they've used that as fuel and motivation to work for three straight months in January, February, and March, the hardest months of the year, to get better and respond to the disappointment of last year," said Fatovic. "The poll is just another step in the path that we're on, and that's redemption."

Fatovic also commented on roster changes: "We have some really exciting players coming in that will add immediate depth to our rotation, but I am more excited about our returning players who put up seven goals against an NCAA Tournament team [in The Superior Dome] in April. They're driving the train, they're the one's who are fit and focused, and I am excited to see what they do."

Senior captain Alessandro Scialanga leads a group of returning players after earning Second Team All-Midwest Region honors as well as a spot on the First Team All-GLIAC team last season. He led NMU in minutes played, assists, points, and was second on the team for goals scored.

"The difference between us and the other teams in the conference is not big, we know that, and that brings a lot of hope that we can get there. We all know that we can get there, and it's important for the new players to understand that too... We have a lot of good technical abilities and tactical abilities, but we want our group to be humble and understand that work ethic comes before everything," Scialanga said.

Other key returners include GLIAC Honorable Mention Quint Van Roij; NMU Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Davian Gumbs; along with regular starters Xhoel Lutaj, James Carr, and Jan Hoffmann.

"You see the ambition, the courage, and the power that our team brings," senior midfielder Hoffmann said. "We need to bring that consistent foundation of energy, as well as intrinsic motivation. Everyone needs to come in hot."

Northern Michigan continues its preseason with a double header today against UW-Superior and UW-River Falls in Superior, Wisconsin. The Wildcats open their regular season at home on Thursday September 4 against Northwood at noon.