UP Gazette

The Northern Michigan Wildcats men's soccer team is set to play a home match against St. Cloud State this Sunday in Marquette. The Wildcats are aiming to secure important points in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) as the regular season nears its end.

After experiencing their first consecutive losses of the season last weekend and a tie with Parkside on Thursday, the Wildcats return to their home field for the first of three remaining regular season games, all scheduled at NMU's pitch.

Currently, Northern Michigan holds a 4-4-5 overall record and sits fourth in the GLIAC standings, two spots ahead of St. Cloud State. The Wildcats have a 3-4-2 record in conference play. Their opponents, St. Cloud State, enter with an overall record of 4-8-1 and are 2-6 in conference matches. In their previous meeting earlier this season, NMU defeated St. Cloud State 2-0.

Sunday’s match is scheduled for October 26 at noon.

Fans can follow updates on Instagram via @NMU_Msoc and on X (formerly Twitter) at @NMU_Mens_Soccer.

Luca Rosen has been a key player for NMU this season, scoring five goals and providing one assist for a total of 11 points. He has also scored three game-winning goals for the team. Rosen leads the conference in total shots (61) and shots on goal (24), while ranking second nationally in shots per game with an average of 4.69.

Goalkeeper Asaf Kristal recorded a season-high 12 saves and earned a shutout during a significant win over Saginaw Valley earlier in the year. Kristal ranks second in the GLIAC for both goals allowed (13) and saves (63), while leading the conference with a save percentage of .829.

The Wildcats are averaging just under one goal per game this season, totaling ten goals—seven coming from conference play. Tuen Van Gansewinkel has added two goals and two assists to support the team's offense.

St. Cloud State comes into Sunday’s game after splitting results last weekend: they beat Purdue Northwest 1-0 but lost to Parkside 2-1. The Huskies have scored 14 goals from 125 shots this year, with only three goals coming during conference games. Andres Garcia leads St. Cloud with five goals, ranking fifth in the GLIAC for that category; Owen Worsdell has contributed three goals. The Huskies’ goalkeeper has made 50 saves with a .704 save percentage.