SCSU Men’s Soccer Closes Regular Season with Dramatic Draw in Michigan

Sunday, October 22

Marquette, Mich.

Noon CT

St. Cloud State

4-5-5, 4-2-4

Northern Michigan

2-9-4, 1-6-3

St. Cloud St.

Northern Mich.

SCSU Men’s Soccer Closes Regular Season with Dramatic Draw in Michigan

10/22/2023 8:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

Late set piece goal salvages another result for the Huskies

MARQUETTE, Mich. – For the third game in a row, St. Cloud State Men's Soccer (3-6-5 overall, 3-3-4 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) has earned a tie after scoring a set piece goal in the final six minutes of the match. The Huskies earned a 2-2 draw against Northern Michigan (2-9-4 overall, 1-6-3 GLIAC) Sunday afternoon at the NMU Soccer Field in Marquette, Mich. With the tie, St. Cloud State is set to host a GLIAC tournament game for the first time in program history next weekend.

After a scoreless first half, SCSU broke through in the 54th minute, taking a 1-0 lead. Sophomore defender Owen Worsdell (Brighton, England) dribbled down the left side of the field and sent a cross into the penalty box. Fifth-year midfielder Zinedine Kroeten (St. Louis Park, Minn.) made a quick pass to sophomore midfielder Yuken Harmon (Coon Rapids, Minn.) who was making a run to front of the net. Harmon hit the ball first-time with his left foot over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Northern Michigan would respond, tying the game at one apiece in the 68th minute and go on to take a 2-1 lead in the 85th minute. In the 87th minute, junior defender Noah Eklund (Andover, Minn.) was fouled near midfield. Kroeten sent a long, left-footed ball into the penalty area where senior midfielder Noah Kantorowicz (Minneapolis) was able to flick a header into the goal, bringing the game back level, 2-2.

TOP HUSKIES

Kroeten provided two assists, one on each Husky goal and played 64 minutes.
Kantorowicz scored the game-tying goal and played 39 minutes off the bench.
Harmon scored the game's first goal while logging 55 minutes off the bench.

QUOTEABLES – St. Cloud State head coach Sean Holmes

"We went to the UP [Upper Penninsula] and we got a tie on the road, so I'm pretty happy about that. We finished the conference with three wins, three losses and four ties – .500. We were pretty good on the road – one win, one loss and three ties so I'm pleased – we now head into the playoffs. Today was great because we were up and in control of the game, then we let it slip away and went down 2-1, then we scored again late, as we're one to do. I was pleased with the effort of the boys – a good weekend."

Fifth-year goalkeeper Dylan De Baldo

"It was a decent result from us today – I think we showed a lot of grit, getting a tie out of what wasn't the best match of our season. Going forward into the weekend I think there are a lot of good things for us – being able to host our first ever home [GLIAC Tournament] match is fantastic, it's great. We just have to show the same grit we showed today and have the same attitude we had towards the end to get that result; we just need it early going into the weekend."

Fifth-year midfielder Zinedine Kroeten

"I'm really happy with how the game turned out – going into this weekend we knew what we were playing for, we knew that we were playing to host a [GLIAC Tournament] game and the results turned out good for us and we'll be hosting our first [GLIAC Tournament] home game which is amazing. On the last second goal, I saw Noah [Kantorowicz] in the background – his head is really big, you can't miss it and he just headed it right in – a great finish. I would've been happier with a win, but things are looking great going into next weekend.

Fifth-year defender Vukota Mastilovic

"All the guys, me included, are excited for the upcoming week – obviously the first home game in the conference tournament in program history. We are going to going to work very hard to get prepared for this weekend's game and hopefully we make it far in this year's conference tournament."

NOTABLES

With the tie, the Huskies are now 2-3-1 all-time against Northern Michigan. SCSU defeated the Wildcats and played them to a draw in the team's two 2023 matchups.
SCSU's record of 3-3-4 in GLIAC play this year is the new program-best mark for conference points (13 – 3 wins, 4 ties).
SCSU finishes fourth in GLIAC standings – the best finish program history.
The Huskies current unbeaten streak of four is the longest in program history (previous was three games twice last season).
NMU led the game in shots (22-10), shots on goal (11-4) and corner kicks (5-4).
The Huskies led the game in saves (9-2).
Kroeten's two assists were his first of the season...now has eight career assists...first multi-assist game of his career...first season with double-digit points (10 – 4 goals/2 assists)...first Husky to double-digit points this season.
Kantorowicz recorded his second goal of the season and his career...third Husky with more than one goal on the season.
Harmon scored his first career goal...eighth Husky to score a goal in 2023...now has three points (1 goal/1 assist).
Worsdell recorded his first career assist.
Fifth-year defender Vukota Mastilovic (Belgrade, Serbia) logged 90 minutes for the 13th time this season (12 in a row) and the 36th time in his career...49th consecutive start in as many games for the Huskies.
Fifth-year goalkeeper Dylan De Baldo (Vancouver, Wash.) faced a career-high 22 shots and tied his season-high by making nine saves...played all 90 minutes for the 12th match in a row (13th time this season).

UP NEXT

St. Cloud State has earned the fourth seed in the GLIAC Tournament and will host a postseason match for the first time in program history. The Huskies will welcome fourth seeded Saginaw Valley State to Husky Stadium next weekend in a quarterfinal matchup. The official game details will be announced when they are finalized early in the week (the game will be played on Saturday, Oct. 28 or Sunday, Oct. 29). Links to the livestream (note – a paid subscription is required) and live stats for the match will be available on the SCSU Men's Soccer page.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Soccer, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.