Huskies Open Postseason Tuesday against Ferris State
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech soccer team will kick off the 2016 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament on Tuesday afternoon at Sherman Field. The Huskies are the No. 3 seed in the field of eight teams and will host the No. 6 seed Ferris State starting at 2 p.m.
The Huskies are 10-3-3 overall and closed the regular season Friday night against Northern Michigan with a 0-0 tie in double overtime. Tech was 6-2-3 in conference contests and finished in third place in the regular season standings with 21 points. Defending NCAA Division II National Champion Grand Valley State won the regular season conference title and Ashland University checked in second in the final standings.
Jaci Mielke anchored the Tech offense during the regular season with a team high seven goals, five assists, and 19 points. However, the Huskies got contributions from multiple players on offense with 13 players notching goals and/or assists. Jessica Splittgerber (3), Taylor Archibald (3), Alex Vasile (2), and Marisa DeMario (2) all had multiple goals in 2016 as well.
Defensively, goalie Kirsen Hudak owns nine shutouts and 76 saves going into the postseason. Her season goals against per game average stands at 0.54, ranking her second in the GLIAC. Hudak is also fourth in the conference in save percentage (.894) and is fifth in total saves. As a team, Tech is also second in the GLIAC in goals against average.
Ferris State completed the 2016 regular season schedule with an overall record of 6-7-4 and went 4-3-4 against conference opponents. The Bulldogs are paced on offense by Rachel Fouts, who owns four goals, two assists and 10 points. Grace Craft has logged the most time in net and her record stands at 6-3-4. She has 86 saves and has given up just nine goals.
The Huskies will face Ferris State for the second time this season at Sherman Field in the GLIAC Quarterfinals Tuesday. Tech won the first meeting of 2016 on September 23rd by the final of 1-0 on an unassisted goal by Mielke in the first half.
Ticket prices for Tuesday's match is $5 for adults and $2 for students with ID. Ticket prices for children ages three and up are also $2 and children two and under get in free. Fans can follow the action through live video and stats by clicking here.