2022 Northern Michigan Preview

With a new coaching staff in place, the Northern Michigan University men’s soccer team has hopes to establish themselves amongst the GLIAC’s best in 2022.
NMU enters the 2022 season selected to finish No. 7 in the GLIAC Preseason Poll, announced by the league on Wednesday.

Northern received 9 points in the poll. Returning conference champion Parkside sits atop the vote, followed by Davenport, Saginaw Valley State, Purdue Northwest, Upper Iowa, St. Cloud State, and NMU.

The Wildcats return some key contributors from a season ago. In net senior Alex Weaver is back after starting 13 games last season, stopping 43 shots and posting a 1.38 GAA with a .694 save percentage. Jonas Vorbau also returns in goal after a season in which he made five starts and claimed a .771 save percentage. Jackson Bowers and Mason Walsh round out the goalkeeping room.

In the midfield, seniors Alex Scott, Quinn Putt, Isaac Ward, and Keegan Schmidt are back to provide experience and leadership for the ‘Cats. On defense, junior Niko Scheibal is back after starting 15 games last season and will look to lead the defensive group. Forward Cian Tunney returns to help lead the attack after 15 appearances a season ago.

Among the newcomers include Philipp Rimmler, a Division I transfer from Wright State, who will also bring experience to the midfield. Freshmen Jan Hoffmann, Tomasso Lami, and Jorge Uriate will also look to make their mark on the program in their first season.

New head coach Alex Fatovic begins his first season as a head coach, but the 2022 campaign marks his 15th preseason between his playing days at Long Island and his assistant coaching gigs. Along with new assistant Adam Kelemet and returning goalkeeping coach Peter Griggs, the NMU staff has established a new culture for NMU soccer and has high expectations for their group in 2022.

The 2022 season begins Friday, August 26 at Wisconsin-Lutheran at 2 PM. NMU’s home opener will take place on Thursday, September 1 when Lewis is in town for a 3 PM kick-off at the NMU Soccer Field.