KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Many athletes listen to music during their pregame warmups as a way to prepare for a game.
If Friday night's performance was any indication, the Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team was enjoying The Who's “Won't Get Fooled Again,” as the Norse defeated Ashland, 3-2, to advance to the NCAA Division II Midwest Region final.
After last season's 8-2 victory by the Norse over the Eagles, Ashland responded with a 1-1 draw on Oct. 14.
The Norse (16-2-2) didn't take long, as they forced two corner kick opportunities in the first four minutes. While the first didn't bear any fruit, the second did, as Braden Bishop stole away goalkeeper Ryan Cruise's clearance attempt and buried a shot from 15 yards out for his seventh goal of the season.
NKU's second goal of the match came in the 40th minute on a familiar scenario, as Anthony Meyer took a deep throw-in for the Norse and put it right on target for Eric Ashworth to knock home his fourth goal of the season on a header.
Not content to be left out of the scoring, Midwest Region Player of the Year Steven Beattie got in the mix just three minutes later, scoring on a header of his own for his team-leading 21st goal of the season. The tally gave the Norse a 3-0 halftime lead, but little did they know it was the final shot they would take in the match.
Ashland (15-4-2) came back on the attack in the 54th minute when Tom Mangotic scored his seventh of the year. The Eagles cut the advantage to one on Ross Ashley's ninth marker this season in the 72nd minute.
Ashland had another flurry of scoring opportunities during a five-minute spurt, but managed just one shot on goal in the span, which NKU goalkeeper Michael Lavric turned away for his fourth save of the evening.
Cruise failed to stop a shot for Ashland, ending Ashland's season having gone winless in its final three games (0-2-1).
NKU now advances to its third consecutive regional final on Sunday, where the Norse will take on the winner between the second semifinal of the day, featuring tournament host Rockhurst taking on Lewis. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (Eastern time).
