Another tough test ahead for the Blue Angels soccer team (3-7-2). This time Maranatha Baptist University (4-8-1) will square off against MMU on Thursday Oct. 16th in Watertown, Wis. at 3:30 pm.
Emily Ristow (Jr./Sheboygan, Wis.) is having a year to remember. Besides winning the Association of Division III Independents "Player of the Week", the junior has 15 goals on the season, and is the all-time leader at MMU for career goals at 60. The last contest for the Blue Angels was against Finlandia University, Ristow knocked in four goals in the first half to help her team defeat the Lions 4-0. Keeping in mind that just two weeks prior the Finlandia bet MMU 5-0, which just emphasizes the turnaround performance of both the team and Ristow.
Back in goal is Becky Onan (Fr./Grafton, Wis.), who leads AD3I in saves with 136. Second in line for saves in AD3I is Michala Marino (Jr./Grand Blanc, Mich.) with 82. Showcasing two of the association's top goalies, on paper this match looks to be leaning towards a low scoring afternoon.
The two teams have not met since the days of the Lake Michigan Conference. This season the Sabercats have met a few familiar opponents; Alverno College who they tied with 3-3, Finlandia University lost to MBU 2-0, and Lakeland College who fell to the Sabercats 1-0. The Blue Angels lost 9-1 to Alverno, yet MMU beat Finlandia 4-0, and tied with LC 2-2. With such a dramatic difference in all those matches, only time will tell how the contest will unfold. The Blue Angels are expected to have a full and healthy roster going into Thursday's match, which always leads to a more potent offense.
When the Blue Angels return from Watertown, they will host Rockford University on Saturday Oct. 18th. The contest will be at the beautiful Mount Mary Field, and begin at 1:00 pm.
