Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Complete schedule

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team will face a formidable test in its inaugural season at the NCAA Division I level as the team announced its 2012 fall schedule on Thursday.

NKU finished its final season in Division II with a record of 14-5 and advanced to the Midwest Regional championship game for the fourth time in five years.  The 2012 slate features a full nine-game schedule in Atlantic Sun Conference play as well as a challenging non-conference schedule.

The fans' first look at the Norse will come on Aug. 18, when NKU hosts Kentucky for a preseason exhibition contest.  The Wildcats, which are members of Conference USA for men's soccer, posted a 9-9-2 record last season and narrowly missed postseason play for the first time in eight years.

The regular season kicks off on Aug. 24 when the Norse travel north to face Wisconsin-Green Bay.  The Phoenix were 11-7-1 last season, boasting a 2-0 win over Wisconsin in the process, and advanced to the semifinals of the Horizon League tournament.  Two days later, the Norse will ride down I-43 to close the weekend at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Labor Day weekend will see NKU in action in a tournament at High Point University in High Point, N.C.  The Norse will face Radford on Friday, Aug. 31, before closing the weekend out against host High Point.

The following weekend begins a three-week tour for the Norse into iconic American cities for non-conference play, beginning with the Circle City of Indianapolis to take on Butler (Sept. 7) and IUPUI (Sept. 9).  The Norse have history against both Division I teams in Indianapolis.  Butler won both meetings between the teams back in 1989 (2-0) and 1990 (3-0), while NKU is undefeated against IUPUI, winning contests in 1994 (4-0) and 1998 (1-0).

The Norse are off to the Steel City on Sept. 14, taking on Big East foe Pittsburgh in a 7 p.m. kickoff.  The Panthers posted a 4-13-1 record in 2011 and were outscored by their opponents, 33-14.

The following weekend it's down to Nashville to take on the team that NKU replaces in the A-Sun roster, Belmont.  The Bruins finished just outside of qualifying for the A-Sun Tournament last season, going 7-9-2 overall.  The Bruins will compete as members of the Ohio Valley Conference beginning with the 2012 season.

A midweek contest at Western Illinois on Sept. 25, followed by a Saturday matinee at Bradley on Sept. 29, closes out NKU's long road through August and September.  The Norse will play their first 10 regular-season games away from home.

After playing as road warriors in the early going, the Norse will open the home half of the schedule, as well as their Atlantic Sun Conference schedule, against Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday, Oct. 4.  The Eagles qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2011 in its first year of eligibility for postseason play after winning the A-Sun regular season and tournament championships.

NKU's only non-conference home game will take place on Oct. 9, when the Norse host IPFW for a 7 p.m. kickoff.  The Mastodons have a substantial history against the Norse, with NKU holding a 13-2-2 advantage in the all-time series between the clubs, which haven't met since IPFW reclassified to Division I following the 2000 season.

The Norse head south to face A-Sun foes North Florida (Oct. 12) and Jacksonville (Oct. 14) before closing out the three-game conference road trip at ETSU (Oct. 19).  NKU then returns home on Oct. 21 to take on Stetson for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

After a midweek trip to face Mercer on Oct. 25 in Macon, Ga., the Norse will host a Halloween evening meeting with USC-Upstate before closing the 2012 schedule at home against Lipscomb on Nov. 3.

The 2012 Norse will feature senior center midfielder Michael Bartlett and junior forward Mohammad Salhieh, who shared the team lead with five goals each in 2011, and junior goalkeeper Ben Dorn, who posted five shutouts last year, as well as a strong incoming class.