UMD Bulldogs Soccer started the year off with a loss to the Northern Michigan Wildcats (NMU) on Thursday, September 5th. The game started at 6 p.m. and ended at 8:30 p.m. Just three minutes in, NMU’s Madison Bilbia scored the first of her two goals en route to a 6-1 Wildcat victory. 

The second goal was scored 11 minutes into the game by Justina L’Esperance, assisted by Megan Kirby. Three minutes later, Madison Bilbia tallied her second goal, assisted by Molly Pistorius. NMU continued their dominance and added two more goals to end the first half at 5-0.

In their resistance, the Bulldogs became more aggressive in their defense. 34 minutes in, the Bulldogs substituted Freshman Gwendolyn Lilly (#23) into the game. Gwendolyn’s two shots on goal, the first by UMD, provided a spark for the team. 

The Bulldog’s struggle bled into the second half. NMU’s Stephanie Trujillo scored an unassisted goal at the 56-minute mark. In the final minutes, Maria Zanotti scored UMD’s lone goal of the game and first of the season. 

On Saturday, September 7th, the 0-1 Bulldogs faced off against the Michigan Tech Huskies. The teams showing on UMD’s Alumni Day showed a stark improvement from their first game. Strong defense and an abundance of penalties produced a scoreless first half for both teams. 

Michigan Tech’s Julia Peitila quickly shattered UMD’s first-half perseverance. Just two minutes into the second half, Peitila snuck a solo shot past UMD’s goalie, Kaycee Chavez. The throw-in assisted goal would be the only in the game.

The 0-1 loss for the Bulldogs may have been bittersweet, but the difference between the first two games can be seen in the statistics. In UMD’s matchup against NMU, only 4 shots on goal were achieved; In Saturday’s matchup against MTU, that increased to 9. 

The Bulldog’s newly forceful defense benefitted from a decrease in 6 shots on goal by their opponent. NMU made 17 shots on goal but that was no match for Kaycee Chavez as she saved 11 of the shots. Chavez also saved 10 shots on goal from being made against MTU. Now that the Bulldog’s have had a few games under their belt, they are sure to bring the heat this season.