 |
By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women’s soccer team takes its final road trip of the season this weekend when the Norse travel to take on Kentucky Wesleyan and Bellarmine in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. Friday’s match against Kentucky Wesleyan kicks off at 2:30 p.m. in Owensboro, Ky., while the Norse will face Bellarmine on Sunday at noon. The Norse (10-2, 6-2 GLVC) are fresh off a winning weekend over Missouri-St. Louis (1-0) and Southern Indiana (3-2). The wins helped the Norse to jump five places in the NCAA Division II national poll to No. 19. NKU also currently shares second place in the GLVC standings and have a chance to clinch a berth in the GLVC Tournament with a solid performance this weekend combined with a bit of help. NKU will close out the regular season on Oct. 26, when the Norse host Indianapolis. The GLVC Tournament begins on Nov. 2 with the quarterfinals being hosted at the home sites of the top four seeds. A WORD ABOUT KENTUCKY WESLEYAN: The Panthers enter Friday’s contest with a 4-9-1 record, including an 0-7-1 mark in GLVC play. They are led by Nora Karvonen, who has eight goals and 18 points on the season, and Kristen Chinn, who has 19 points spread across seven goals and five assists. Natalie McCaslin covers the net for the Panthers with a 2.26 goals allowed average and a .727 save percentage. The Norse have never lost to the Panthers, having played them every season since the inception of the NKU team in 1997. A WORD ABOUT BELLARMINE: The Knights enter the weekend fighting for their postseason lives, standing in eighth place in the GLVC standings with a 4-4-1 record to go with their 8-4-2 overall mark. Bellarmine will look to Brittany Nakatani for an offensive punch as she leads the team with six goals. Last season, it took a dramatic goal by Lauren Franzen with 14 seconds remaining in the second overtime for NKU to take a 2-1 decision from the Knights. The Norse are 9-1-1 all-time against the Knights, with NKU taking the last five meetings between the two clubs. NATIONALLY KNOWN: NKU’s offense is beginning to draw some notice around the country. The Norse rank seventh in Division II for their scoring offense, putting in 3.33 goals per game, yet only one player, Lauren Franzen, is in the top ten in scoring in the GLVC with six goals. PASSING INTEREST: Three NKU players are in the NCAA’s national rankings for their passing ability. Brandi Doss is sixth in the country in assists per game (0.83), notching 10 helpers in 12 contests, while Amanda Mason is 18th (0.64) and Kelly Sullivan is 22nd (0.58). The single-season record for assists at NKU is 22, set by Tricia Ruark in 2001. |
