MARQUETTE, Mich. – The no. 11 women’s soccer team defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies 1-0, sealing the deal for the programs first regular season championship.

Stephanie Trujillo scored four minutes into the match, and the Wildcats were able to hold on to the lead for the remaining 86 minutes of play. Jillian Thompson recorded her GLIAC leading 12th shutout of the season, and the ‘Cats remain undefeated at home with a 6-0-3 record this season.

The Wildcats improve to 13-1-4 overall and 9-1-4 in the conference, tying a program best in overall wins, and securing the GLIAC regular season title for the first time in program history. The Huskies fall to 8-3-7 overall, with a 7-2-5 GLIAC record.

Cat Nips

  • The Wildcats secured the first GLIAC regular season title in history, coming off a second-place finish last season.
  • The ‘Cats matched it’s overall win total from last season at 13, and its nine conference wins is second most all-time
  • Stephanie Trujillo scored her fifth goal of the season, her second game-winning goal, and is now third in both goals and points on the Wildcats
  • Hannah Kastamo recorded her fourth assist of the season, tying the team lead and maintaining second on the team in points
  • Redshirt-Freshman goalkeeper Jillian Thompson continues to set records, as her 12th shutout of the season is a new single-season record by three, and she is third in career shutouts. She made seven saves, a single-game career high
  • The ‘Cats have continued to use its home turf as an advantage, going 18-0-6 its previous 24 home matches

How It Happened
1st Half
We knew the first 15 minutes of this game was going to be crucial, and the ‘Cats came out of the gate the right way with a goal in the first five minutes. Hannah Kastamo made a great run down the right side before sliding a ball into the box for Stephanie Trujillo. Trujillo used her body to shield the defender, made a great turn, and used her right foot to fire the ball into the bottom left corner.

The ‘Cats kept pouring on the pressure, and Brenna Musser came mere inches from doubling the lead. Musser received a ball and ran down the right, took a shot that was headed to the same spot as Trujillo’s goal, but just missed the post.

You had to expect a response from the Huskies, and that’s exactly what happened as the ‘Cats didn’t record a shot attempt or have much of the possession in the ensuing handful of minutes in the half.

The Wildcats had their third-best chance of the afternoon, as Madison Bilbia received a through ball in the box and flicked the ball on target. The rebound came to Haley Gruener, who had a wide-open net, but the angle was too severe to curl it into the goal.

Jillian Thompson had to stay sharp as time wound down in the first half, as Taylor Noble broke through the NMU defensive line and streaked in on goal. Thompson came aggressively off her line and met Noble about six yards out to make a clutch save in the dying seconds.

2nd Half
The ‘Cats once again came out of the gate fast, and it was Trujillo once again. Pistorius crossed a ball from left to right that landed on the foot of Trujillo from about 10 yards out. Just as Trujillo went to strike, the ball took a funny hop and caused her to miss wide right.

The Wildcats shut it down defensively for the rest of the match, holding Michigan Tech off the scoreboard and securing the GLIAC regular season title for the first time in program history!

Up Next
The Wildcats host the first round of the GLIAC playoffs on Monday, November 6, at 3 p.m.