UP Gazette

The Northern Michigan University men's soccer team is set to begin its 2025 season with two home games this weekend. Head coach Alex Fatovic and his squad will host Northwood on Thursday, September 4 at noon, followed by a match against Lawrence Tech on Saturday, September 6, also at noon.

The Wildcats have played Northwood twice under Fatovic's leadership. They lost their home opener to the Timberwolves in 2023 but won the rematch at Northwood in 2024. Since 2016, NMU has an all-time record of 3-11-1 against Northwood.

This will be the first regular season meeting between NMU and Lawrence Tech. The Blue Devils come into the game after three losses to ranked opponents and have yet to score a goal this season.

Coach Fatovic emphasized the team's mentality for the new season: "How can you set the tone and set the energy level in every match, no matter who you play, and when you do get knocked down, can you get up and keep playing. That is our mentality, and we don't take any game lightly... You have to be resilient, and you have to be able to get back up."

In the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) preseason coaches' poll for 2025, NMU was selected to finish seventh out of seven teams. Saginaw Valley State topped the poll with six first-place votes.

Fatovic returns for his fourth season as head coach alongside assistant coach Chance Vang. Last year, NMU improved from two wins in 2023 to six wins in 2024—the most single-season victories since 2019—though they missed postseason play.

"[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," Fatovic said. "The poll is just another step in the path that we're on, and that's redemption."

He added: "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 returning players after earning Second Team All-Midwest Region honors last season while leading NMU in minutes played as well as assists and points; he was second on the team for goals scored.

Scialanga commented: "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."

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

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

Northwood was picked ninth in its conference preseason poll after finishing last year with a record of four wins eleven losses and two draws. Senior forward Nathan Casal led Northwood offensively last season with six goals while sophomore goalkeeper Albie Perez returns among their netminders. Stevie Shard enters his eighth season as Northwood's head coach.

Lawrence Tech’s men’s soccer program is led by Will Dyer entering his fifteenth season as head coach. The Blue Devils finished with seven wins eight losses four draws last year after posting eleven wins five losses three draws in 2023 but lost several key players due to graduation ahead of this campaign.

Fans can follow @NMU_Msoc on Instagram or @NMU_Mens_Soccer on X (formerly Twitter) for updates during both matches.