UMAC Game of the Week: Martin Luther vs. Northwestern - Men's Soccer
The UMAC Game of the Week runs each Thursday during the conference regular season and breaks down one key matchup from one sport.
NEW ULM, Minn.---The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) men's soccer season is half over and the race for the postseason is heating up. Both Martin Luther College and the University of Northwestern are in the thick of a four team race for several coveted playoff spots, making the matchup for UMAC Game of the Week between the two squads even more exciting. Martin Luther hosts Northwestern Saturday at 3:30 p.m. for a must-win game.
***UPDATE***
Martin Luther won 2-0
Matchup History
- Martin Luther won both contests between the two teams last season.
- Northwestern won the two previous games in each 2016 and 2017.
- Two of the last three matchups have been decided by one goal.
This Season
- Both squads enter the contest with two conference wins (Martin Luther, 2-3; Northwestern 2-2) and are in the thick of five teams looking to potentially lock up three postseason spots as of right now. This game outcome will be critical as the season concludes and both berths and seeds are determined.
- Martin Luther snapped a three-game conference losing streak with a crucial 2-1 win Tuesday over the University of Minnesota Morris, another team in the pack of five.
- Northwestern had a tough start to the season facing strong non-conference opponents, but had won two-straight games before falling to Northland College on Tuesday.
- Following Saturday's game, Martin Luther has just two conference games remaining against teams in the bottom third of the conference standings. Northwestern will have three games remaining and are yet to face leading University of Wisconsin-Superior and a Bethany Lutheran College squad also in the thick of the postseason race.
Martin Luther Key Players (conference stats)
- Joe Graumann, F/MF - 2018 Player of the Year; 3 g, 6 pts, 1 gwg, 17 sh
- Josh Higgins, GK - .800 sv%, 2.56 GAA, 10.40 sv/g
- Lucas Martin, MF - 3 a, 3 pts
Northwestern Key Players (conference stats)
- Derrick Aminga, MF - 1 g, 2 pts, 22 Sh, 7 SOG
- Taylor Modaff, MF - 3 g, 1 a, 7 pts
- Tim Meyer, MF - 2 g, 4 pts
Game Information
UMAC Game of the Week Archives