UP Gazette

The Northern Michigan University men's soccer team secured a 2-0 victory against St. Cloud State Huskies in an away match in St. Cloud, Minnesota. This win brings the Wildcats' season record to 3-2-3 overall and 2-2-0 in GLIAC play.

The Wildcats took the lead 25 minutes into the game after being awarded a penalty for a hand-ball, following sustained offensive pressure. Luca Rosen converted the penalty, marking his second successful attempt of the season.

In the closing five minutes of the match, Tyler Kowalczyk contributed with a defensive effort and set up Ian Weimer and Teun Van Gansewinkel for an attack. After Van Gansewinkel's shot was blocked, Weimer scored with a header to secure the team's second goal.

Goalkeeper Asaf Kristal recorded four saves during the match, resulting in the Wildcats’ fourth shutout of the season.

Head coach Alex Fatovic commented on his team's performance: "Another awesome road performance. The guys played fantastic for the full ninety minutes, and this was probably our best performance of the season from front to back," Fatovic said. He noted that this win ended a four-game winless streak against St. Cloud State and was their first victory in St. Cloud since October 21, 2022.

Fatovic added: "We got the early goal and followed our game plan. I wasn't too pleased with the start of the second half, but we made some great changes, and guys performed. Tyler Kowalczyk was awesome off the bench, [we got] a huge goal from Ian [Weimer] to close out the game, but a lot of individual and collective performances that got us our third shutout in five games on the road."

The Wildcats have now posted three shutouts while conceding only two goals across five away matches this season.

Looking ahead, Fatovic emphasized preparation for their next opponent: "We'll rest and recover, but there's no time to really enjoy this as we have the league-leaders and elite eight co-champions from last season Saginaw Valley in town on Friday. Really pleased with the performance... another road win, another road shutout, and just exactly what we needed."