Northern Michigan University’s men’s soccer team has earned a second consecutive NCAA Division II tournament berth and will visit Findlay on Sunday, Nov. 15.
The Wildcats (10-6-2) received an at-large bid and the No. 5 seed in Super Region 3, NMU Athletics announced Nov. 9. They face fourth-seeded Findlay (13-5-2) at 1 p.m. at DeHaven Field in Findlay, Ohio, in a second-round match.
NMU qualified automatically last season by winning the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament. This year, the Wildcats received one of Super Region 3’s six at-large berths after finishing fifth in the region’s NCAA Power Index rankings.
The selection followed a 1-0 loss to Purdue Northwest in the GLIAC semifinals Friday, Nov. 6.
NMU played that match without freshman forward Sergio Cano Castro and defender Noah Girard. According to the university’s recap, both were serving one-game suspensions for accumulated yellow cards.
The matchup
Findlay secured an automatic berth by beating Kentucky Wesleyan 3-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference tournament final. The Oilers are making their second NCAA appearance in three seasons after reaching the third round in 2024.
NMU won both previous meetings between the programs, 2-0 and 1-0, during its inaugural 2016 season.
Senior forward Luca Rosen, a captain from London, England, enters the tournament with 16 goals and 38 points, according to NMU’s season statistics.
Cano Castro, from Cudillero Oviñana, Spain, has 10 assists overall, a school single-season record. He was named GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
Senior goalkeeper Asaf Kristal has a 1.18 goals-against average and a .787 save percentage.
Sunday’s winner advances to the third round. The NCAA schedules that round for Nov. 20, followed by the quarterfinals Nov. 22.
