Huskies Soccer Meet Ashland in NCAA Tournament

•  Turk Ozturk Press Conference | 11.14.2023

HOUGHTON, Mich. – The No. 8 seeded Michigan Tech soccer team starts a new season on Thursday as they travel to Ashland, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, for a tilt at Ferguson Field on Thursday slated for 6 p.m.

About the Game

The Huskies are one of the 56 remaining teams and face a former rival in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Ashland, who has an 8-5-1 all-time series lead over the Huskies. 

About the Eagles

Ashland spent six weeks as the No. 1 nationally-ranked team in Division II soccer, playing to an overall record of 17-0-4, falling in a shootout in the GMAC Tournament at Northwood (4-2).

The Eagles saw multiple conference awards highlighted by midfielder Merrik Mihalek was tabbed Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Year. She joined teammates Julianna Williams, Dani Hicks and Mackenzie Simon on the All-Conference First Team.

Additionally, Ashland saw three on the GMAC All-Conference Second Team in junior defender Myah Giordullo, junior forward McKinley Mendenhall and senior forward Allison King.

The Eagles have one of the best netminders in all of Division II in Mackenzie Simon, who comes to Ashland after four seasons at Division I institute Youngstown State University, a member of the Horizon League. She is first in the nation in goals against average (.220) and second nationally in save percentage (.927) while being 21st in the nation, with nine shutouts.

As a team, the Eagles offense has produced 50 goals and 128 points, both of which rank top-20 nationally. AU is averaging 2.38 goals per game while posting 14 shots per game. Similar to Michigan Tech, Ashland has also found success off of corner kicks, taking 156 this season for an average of 7.4 per game.

Ashland has a well-balanced attack, with three Eagles netting three or more game-winning goals, led by Dani Hicks with nine goals and seven assists for a team-high 25 points. Joining Hicks with multiple goals and assists this season is Merrik Mihalek (7G, 4A), McKinley Mendenhall (5G, 6A) and Sydney Polen (5G, 4A). 

About the Huskies

Michigan Tech made history by qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the third time in program history and the first time since 2014-15.

The Huskies went 8-3-7 in the regular season and despite falling short of victory in the GLIAC tournament, Michigan Tech returns to the NCAA postseason for the third time in program history.

The Black & Gold have scored 23 goals, averaging 1.21 goals per game on 12.2 shots this season. In 19 games played, the Huskies have a goals-against average of .842 backed by the GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year, Gracie VanLangevelde. 

Along with the major award, VanLangevelde can add two-time All-GLIAC First Team honoree to her resume, earning her second honor in the 2023 season. She totaled six shutouts with 61 saves with a save percentage of .803.

Joining her on the GLIAC first team was midfielder Seulgi Lee, who netted six goals, including a hat trick at Lewis on Sep. 10 to lead the Huskies offense. Cassie Bonifas (6G, 1A) and Julia Pietila (1G) also made All-GLIAC honors, being tabbed on the Second Team. Jordan Noble rounded out the conference accolades, being selected as an All-GLIAC Honorable Mention recipient.

The Huskies will look to find goal-scoring opportunities off of set pieces, backed by the 24th-best corner kick average per game (6.32) in the nation. The Black & Gold's goals-against average (.842) is one of the best in the conference and ranks 54th nationally.