Northern Michigan University’s Teun Van Gansewinkel, center, leaps over Roosevelt's Nick Kilian as Kilian tried to do a side tackle but Van Gansewinkel was able to gain control of the ball during their GLIAC men’s soccer game played at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

By Journal Sports Staff

MARQUETTE — The goals have started to dry up for the Northern Michigan University men’s soccer team as these Wildcats head toward the middle of their conference season.

NMU was shut out for the third straight game in a 1-0 loss to GLIAC newcomer Roosevelt at the NMU Soccer Field on Sunday afternoon. Northern fell to 4-4-1 overall and 1-4 in the conference, in last place though only two games out of second.

Weather conditions on the field in viewing distance of Lake Superior started dreary and got worse. Winds gusted past 30 mph, temperatures were in the low-50s and rain moved in during the latter stages of this game, the first-ever meeting between these two teams.

That made the Lakers’ goal scored late in the first half loom even larger as the second half wore on.

Roosevelt’s Haris Sarajlija made his first goal of the season stand up the rest of the way as he scored with less than 3 1/2 minutes left before the halftime break. The scoring play started when the ball was crossed into the box that Northern goaltender Nils Cedergren handled, but Sarajlila put his body on the ball that was bobbled in the hands of Cedergren, causing a fumble and finding the loose change to knock it home.

NMU’s went further behind the 8-ball when Finn van den Berg received a red card after a one-on-one battle in Northern’s end in the 51st minute, putting the ‘Cats down a player for the final nearly 40 minutes.

Statistics were fairly even, with Northern holding an 18-15 advantage in overall shots and 6-5 in shots on goal. Cedergren made four saves while Roosevelt counterpart Eric Carvajal had six stops. NMU also took five of the game’s seven corner kicks, and while the Lakers (4-4-2, 2-2) were called for more fouls, 22-18, the Wildcats were the only ones called for a disqualifying red card.

In the game’s first few minutes, NMU was awarded a corner kick that Tommaso Lami took the cross, whipping it into the 18-yard box but to no avail, according to a game account provided by NMU Sports Information.

Northern’s best chance in the first half probably came from Alessandro Scialanga, who dribbled the ball to the top of the 18-yard box and fired a shot that barely flew over the crossbar, according to NMU SI.

NMU held a huge advantage in first-half offense, outshooting Roosevelt 11-3, though only 2-1 in shots on goal.

Less than 10 minutes after the Wildcats went down a man, NMU was awarded a penalty kick after a foul was committed by Carvajal on Northern’s Quint Van Roij. Scialanga took the kick and put it in the right corner that was saved by the Roosevelt keeper.

Northern had a few other chances down the stretch but couldn’t convert them.

For the day, Scialanga led the NMU offense with five shots and two on goal. Lami was shown his fourth yellow card, too, making his next one an automatic one-game suspension.

The Wildcats try to get back into the GLIAC race on the road this week against two of the teams closest to them in the standings. NMU travels to Grand Rapids to face Davenport (1-1-2 GLIAC) at 5 p.m. Friday, then heads east to University Center to face Saginaw Valley State (1-3 GLIAC) at 2 p.m. Sunday.

In an odd quirk of the schedule, Northern’s next home games are against those same two schools the following week. NMU hosts SVSU at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, then entertains Davenport at home at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.