UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich.- The Saginaw Valley State women's soccer team defeated Northern Michigan in the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals on Tuesday, 2-1. The Cardinals (11-6-2, 8-4-2 GLIAC) entered the tournament as the three-seed and faced the Wildcats (8-6-5, 5-5-4 GLIAC) who were the six-seed.

SVSU dominated field position in the first half. Emily Kolodin (Grand Blanc, Mich., Grand Blanc HS) took the first shot of the game for the Cardinals in the fourth minute. In the 16th minute, Saginaw Valley State got back-to-back corner kicks. Kolodin sent the first one into the box where Ryleigh Gray (Belle River, Ontario, E.J. Lajeunesse) got her head on it, but it was deflected out of bounds, giving the Cardinals another chance. Kolodin put the ball in a similar spot, where Kylie Cesarek (Macomb, Mich., Dakota HS) got the header past the NMU goalkeeper to put SVSU up 1-0. The Cardinals continued to be aggressive, firing off four more shots before the end of the half. Defensively, Saginaw Valley State dominated, not allowing a single shot from the Wildcats in the first half. SVSU led 1-0 at the break. 

Northern Michigan took their first shot of the match in the 46th minute. Ava Wilberding (Grand Rapids, Mich., Forest Hills Central HS) made a diving save to keep the Wildcats off the board. In the 57th minute, the Cardinals got another opportunity with a corner kick. Kolodin sent it back to Peyton Kennedy (Saginaw, Mich., Heritage HS), who sent it into a crowd in the box. Gray managed to jump above the group and score the header for her first goal of the season, putting SVSU up 2-0. NMU scored a goal in the 66th minute to pull within one. However, the Cardinals would hold strong the rest of the way, not allowing another shot on goal. Saginaw Valley State earned the win, 2-1.

The Cardinals outshot the Wildcats, 21-7 (4-2 on goal). SVSU was whistled for eight fouls while NMU was called for six. 

Up Next: Three-seed Saginaw Valley State will face two-seed Grand Valley State in the semifinals on Friday, November 6. With Ferris State's upset over Wayne State, Grand Valley State will now host the semifinals and championship in Allendale.