UP Gazette

The Northern Michigan Wildcats men's soccer team played the Parkside Rangers to a 0-0 draw in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Wednesday. The match was notable for challenging weather conditions, with temperatures just below 50 degrees and winds reaching 20-30 mph.

Eight Wildcats players remained on the field for the entire 90 minutes, with all starters logging at least 77 minutes. Luca Rosen led the Wildcats' offense with 10 shots, three of which were on target. Goalkeeper Asaf Kristal recorded four saves to secure his sixth shutout of the season, the most in the GLIAC conference.

The Parkside Rangers maintained their third-place position in the GLIAC standings with the result, staying four points ahead of Northern Michigan and moving within three points of Saginaw Valley for second place. Daniyal Rana, the Rangers' goalkeeper, made five saves to achieve his third shutout of the season.

Northern Michigan outshot Parkside 20-13 overall and had five shots on target compared to Parkside's four. The Wildcats also led in corner kicks, earning eight to the Rangers' four. In the second half, aided by the wind, Northern Michigan outshot Parkside 16-5 and had seven corners to two.

Possession statistics showed Northern Michigan held a slight advantage at 52%. While controlling the ball, the Wildcats spent 72% of that time in Parkside's half of the field. In contrast, Parkside had possession in Northern Michigan's half for 56% of their time with the ball.

Disciplinary action included four yellow cards issued to Northern Michigan players—James Carr (3), Owen Rutledge (3), Quint Van Roij (2), and Ian Weimer (2)—while Parkside received two yellow cards.

This is only the second time these teams have played to a scoreless draw; the first occurred during their initial meeting on September 23, 2018, also in Kenosha.

During the first half, Parkside benefited from strong winds at their backs and outshot Northern Michigan 8-4. Both teams had one shot on target before halftime. The Wildcats were called for eight fouls and received all four of their yellow cards during this period.

In the second half, Northern Michigan took advantage of favorable wind conditions and dominated play. They outshot Parkside 16-5 and earned seven corner kicks while the Rangers received both of their yellow cards after halftime.

Northern Michigan will return home to face St. Cloud State at NMU Soccer Field on Sunday at noon Eastern Time.