PREVIEW: Soccer hosts NMU Tuesday in GLIAC Quarterfinals

GLIAC QUARTERFINALS 

• The Huskies will take on Northern Michigan on Tuesday (Nov. 9) at 1 p.m. at Kearly Stadium in the opening round of the GLIAC tournament. 

• Michigan Tech earned the #4 seed in the tournament while NMU is the #5 seed.

• The Huskies finished the regular season with a 3-1 victory at PNW followed by a 2-0 loss at NMU. 

• Michigan Tech finished with a 12-6 overall record with a 9-5 mark in the GLIAC.

• For more information on the GLIAC tournament, visit https://gliac.prestosports.com/sports/wsoc/index.

TICKETS

• Adult tickets are $5, youth tickets are $2, and MTU students are free with their MTU ID.

• Tickets can be purchased at the central ticket office in the SDC, by calling 906-487-2073, or by visiting https://mtu.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=3608.   

SCOUTING NORTHERN MICHIGAN

• The Wildcats finished 10-7-1 on the season and 8-5-1 in the GLIAC. 

• NMU has outscored their opponents 46-26 this season. 

• Northern's most recent outing was a 2-0 win over the Huskies on Sunday (Nov. 7) to close out the regular season. 

• The Wildcats are led by senior forward Isabela Cardoso (19 points), senior midfielder Caroline Halonen (17 points), and freshman midfielder Justina L'Esperance (15 points). 

• Jon Sandoval is in his second season as head coach of the Wildcats.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

• The Huskies and Wildcats each earned a 2-0 home victory over their UP rival this season. 

• Michigan Tech defeated the Wildcats 2-0 on Oct. 3 at Kearly Stadium. Grace Shaw and Stephanie Yeager scored for Tech while Gracie VanLangevelde stopped all six shots she faced for the shutout. 

• NMU defeated Tech 2-0 in the regular season finale. Calihan Bearden and Ashley Koch scored for the Wildcats.

GABRIEL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Michigan Tech senior goalkeeper Erika Gabriel was named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 25. 

• Gabriel got the start in net for Michigan Tech vs. Ferris State (Oct. 24) and had five saves on her way to her fourth shutout this season. 

• Gabriel is second in the GLIAC in save percentage (.857), goals against (4), and goals-against average (0.43). 

• Gabriel was the first Husky to earn GLIAC Player of the Week accolades since goalkeeper Amanda Young in Week 7 of 2018. 

STATISTICAL DEEP DIVE

• Grace Shaw leads the team with 11 goals and 23 points. 

• Stephanie Yeager leads the team with eight assists while adding five goals for 18 points.

• Freshman Julia Pietila has six goals and 13 points this season. 

• Erika Gabriel is second in the GLIAC in save percentage (.857), goals against (4), and goals-against average (0.43). 

• Grace Shaw is currently tied for third in the GLIAC with 11 goals and tied for first in NCAA DII with seven game-winning goals. 

• Grace Shaw currently ranks third in program history with 28 career goals (Jacqueline Mielke - 30, Lexi Herrewig - 29) and 73 career points (Lexi Herrewig - 84, Jacqueline Mielke - 74)

ALL-GLIAC RETURNEES

• The Black and Gold return four all-GLIAC players from last season.

• Fifth year senior Jesse Jacobusse led the Huskies with seven goals and 15 points in the spring season.

• Joining Jacobusse on the attack is senior and co-captain Grace Shaw. Shaw recorded four goals and added five assists in the 2021 spring campaign. She was second on the team with 13 points. 

• Also anchoring the Huskies' lineup are senior Brooke Schauer and junior Neve Badalow. Schauer recorded two goals and five assists (nine points) last season while Badalow assisted on two goals and had a stellar season on the defensive end. 

REGIONAL RANKINGS

• The Huskies are currently ranked #4 in the latest regional rankings released by the NCAA.

• Full Regional Rankings

PRESEASON POLL

• The Huskies were selected to finish fourth in the GLIAC Preseason Poll.

• NMU was picked to finish third.

• Full GLIAC Preseason Poll

   

COACH OZTURK

• Head Coach Bulut Ozturk is in his second season with the Huskies.

• Under Ozturk, the Huskies have gone from a 5-10-1 record in 2019 to a 5-4-1 record last season.

• He led the Huskies to a return to the GLIAC Quarterfinals. 

• During the regular season, Ozturk coached the Huskies to an overtime tie on the road against No. 1 ranked Grand Valley State.

LAST SEASON

• The Huskies finished the 2021 spring season with a 5-4-1 overall record, reaching the GLIAC Quarterfinals.

A LOOK AHEAD

• The GLIAC semifinals (Nov. 12) and championship (Nov. 14) will be hosted by the highest remaining seed of the victorious teams from the quarterfinals on Tuesday. 

• Stay up to date with tournament scheduling on the GLIAC Women's Soccer page at https://www.gliac.org/sports/wsoc/index.