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By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team gets back to action on Friday when the Norse travel to take on Kentucky Wesleyan at noon in Owensboro, Ky. The Norse (10-1-2, 6-1-1 Great Lakes Valley Conference) are looking to shore up their spot in the GLVC Tournament, which they can do with a win on Friday or with a loss or tie by Quincy against Missouri S&T. NKU, ranked No. 13 in the latest NCAA Division II national poll, is fresh of a 1-1 tie against Ashland, the top team in the Midwest Region. Braden Bishop scored the game-tying goal in the 54th minute, but the Norse could not find the edge. The Norse will conclude the weekend with a Sunday match at Bellarmine. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The regular season wraps up on Oct. 26, against Indianapolis at the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky. A WORD ABOUT KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: The Panthers enter the weekend winless both in conference (0-8) and overall (0-12). Trevor Banks and Ben Nitch lead the Wesleyan offense with two goals each, while Ryan Samuels will man the net for the Panthers. Friday will be the 31st meeting between the two teams, with NKU holding a resounding 23-4-3 record in the all-time series. The Norse have won the last 15 meetings between the two teams, and have not allowed a goal to the Panthers in the last seven. A WORD ABOUT BELLARMINE: NKU and Bellarmine will meet for the 36th time on Sunday, with NKU going 25-9-1 in the previous meetings between the schools. This season, the Knights boast a 4-4-1 record in GLVC play, good for seventh in the conference, while maintaining a 7-5-2 overall mark, and are winners of five of their last six games entering this weekend’s action. Brad Barraclough, one of the league’s top scorers, anchors the Bellarmine offense with 12 goals on the season. Between the posts for the Knights is 2007 All-GLVC third-team honoree Justin Welply, who holds a 1.52 goals allowed average and a .765 save percentage entering the weekend. PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Steven Beattie was named the GLVC Player of the Week after notching three goals and an assist in conference wins against Missouri-St. Louis and Southern Indiana last weekend. Beattie leads the GLVC with 14 goals and entered the week standing fourth in the nation in goals per game (1.17). CHASING 300: The Norse are staring down a milestone event, as the program has 298 wins to its credit since its inception in 1980. A pair of wins this weekend will give NKU 300 wins all-time in men’s soccer. Head coach John Basalyga lays claim to 75 of those victories entering this weekend, putting him on pace with legendary NKU coach John Toebben, who won 78 games in his first six seasons at the helm of the Norse. DEFENSE STILL STRONG: The Norse continue to win with defense, allowing just eight goals to opposing forces this season. The record at NKU is 12, set in 2004 and equaled last season. Goalkeeper Michael Lavric ranks in the top 10 nationally in both goals against average (0.518) and save percentage (.864). |
