Score: Northwood 1, #10 Saginaw Valley 0 - OT
Records: NU (7-2-2, 5-0-1 GLIAC) | SVSU (7-2-1, 4-1-1 GLIAC)
Location: Dean Field
MIDLAND -- Both Saginaw Valley State University and Northwood University were tied atop the 2017 GLIAC Men's Soccer Standings heading into Wednesday afternoon's rivalry matchup in Midland at Northwood's Dean Field. Regulation was not enought time to decide this one, as the match went into overtime, where the Timberwolves scored early on in the extra session to claim a 1-0 victory.
The first 45 minutes saw the Cards maintain the ball quite a bit in Northwood territory and posting an 8-1 advantage in shots. Just under 10 minutes into the contest, a hand ball in the box game SVSU's Michael Shaikly a penalty kick opportunity for the visitors' best chance. The NU goalkeeper made a save on the shot, keeping the match scoreless, which is where the score remained heading into halftime.
Offense was a bit more balanced in the second period, with each team notching five shots. Both sides had several good looks in front of the net, but neither side could capitalize and the game went into overtime scoreless at 0-0.
The bonus soccer session began the same as the first 90 minutes until Northwood's Austin Hobbs took the ball off a giveaway, ran past the SVSU defense and snuck one into the bottom right of the goal to claim the victory for the Timberwolves.
Inside the Boxscore
- Saginaw Valley held a 13-7 overall edge in shots, putting three on goal while the T-Wolves had two on net.
- The Cardinals had 11 corner kicks in the match compared to four for Northwood.
- Shaikly had a match-high four shots with one on goal.
- Michael Hamilton and Connor Rutz each had three shots, with Hamilton putting one on net.
From Head Coach Andy Wagstaff
"Not sure why we were flat today but we didn't show enough desire or effort as a team. I know we had three games in six days but it was the same for Northwood. I felt like we had more of the ball but never really troubled them enough in front of goal. I think NU was quite happy to absorb our pressure and hope that they could pinch one through a set piece or our own mistake, which is what happened. Let's hope we learn from this quickly because the GLIAC league doesn't allow these types of slip-ups very often."
Up Next...
The Cardinals host Northern Michigan University on Sunday (Oct. 8) in another GLIAC matchup. First kick is slated for 2:30 p.m. at SVSU's Braddock Field. Saginaw Valley defeated the Wildcats by a 3-0 count on Sep. 15 in Marquette. Northern plays at Northwood Friday (Oct. 6) in a 2:00 p.m. match.
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