The sun was shining brightly on the Bulldogs on an uncharacteristically warm November day. With every Ferris goal coming in the first half and the Dawg defense blanking the Timberwolves through the first 45 minute half, the Bulldogs took off early and never looked back on their way to victory.
Ferris senior forward Casey Shauman got things started for the Dawgs, as she scored less than ten minutes into the contest with the help of sophomore midfielder Rachel Fouts who set her up with a free kick from inside the box.
Ferris Freshman defender Carley Dubbert was able to find twine next, scoring with the help of junior defender Meredith Smith at the 17:05 mark to put the Bulldogs up 2-0. Just under five minutes later, Shauman did it again with senior midfielder Abby Meirndorf and Smith credited with assists.
Senior Nicole Boehnke rounded out the first half offensive assault with an unassisted goal where she beat out a Northwood defender 1-on-1 to blast one past the goalkeeper in the final minute of the half.
Northwood’s offense showed a pulse in the second half as they finally scored a goal of their own courtesy of sophomore forward Jessica Flores, but it was too late to make a difference. Due to stellar play by senior goalkeeper Maddie Haustein who made eight saves on the day, the Timberwolves’ comeback hopes were dashed.
The 2-seed Bulldogs will advance to the semifinal round of the GLIAC Tournament, where they will meet advancing 3-seed Ashland who just knocked Michigan Tech out of contention. The time and location has yet to be announced, but as the higher-rated team, Ferris holds a chance to host a second consecutive tournament game in Big Rapids depending on how the rest of the field plays out. Regardless of location, the game will be held this Friday.