NKU begins its quest for a sixth GLVC championship on Sunday against Rockhurst.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team begins its postseason Sunday by hosting Rockhurst in the quarterfinal round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
Kickoff is scheduled for noon from the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky.
NKU (15-2), the No. 10 team in the NCAA Division II national poll, enters this game as the No. 1 seed in the GLVC Tournament after finishing the season with a 12-2 record in GLVC play. Rockhurst (7-9-1) is the No. 8 seed, going 6-7-1 in the league.
The Norse closed out the regular season last weekend with wins over Maryville, 1-0, and Missouri-St. Louis, 3-1.
Amanda Mason and
Kendall Day continue to pace the offense with seven goals each, while
Danielle Hogue leads the team with 11 assists and 23 total points.
With a win, NKU will host the remaining rounds of the GLVC Tournament on Nov. 6-8.
A WORD ABOUT ROCKHURST: The Hawks have lost five of their last six games, with three of those games going to overtime. Abby Davidson's seven goals leads the Hawks offense followed by Amy Lindley with six. Rockhurst has struggled away from home, going 1-7-1 in road contests this season.
LAST TIME AGAINST ROCKHURST: #Emily Martin and Kelly Sullivan# each scored goals for the Norse as the defense held off a late surge to post a 2-1 victory over Rockhurst in the teams' regular-season meeting on Oct. 11. The Norse outshout Rockhurst by a 17-5 margin, giving NKU a 6-1 margin in the all-time series between the clubs.
A FAMILIAR POSITION: The 2009 GLVC Tournament marks the sixth edition of the competition in which NKU has entered as the No. 1 seed, but the first since 2005. NKU was also the top seed for four consecutive seasons between 2000 and 2003. NKU took the conference championship in four of those previous five tournaments.
MARTIN MAKES IT COUNT: Emily Martin's shots have been few and far between, but when she strikes she makes it count. All seven of her shot attempts this season have been on target with four of those going for goals, giving her an amazing .571 shooting percentage. By comparison, the Norse have a .176 shooting percentage as a team this season.
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE: NKU's wide-open offense continues to be among the nation's best, currently ranking No. 19 in Division II with 2.88 goals per game. Despite this strong offensive effort, NKU does not rank any players among the top 100 in goals or points per game. However, three NKU players are ranked nationally in assists per game.
Danielle Hogue (No. 9),
Amanda Mason (No. 42) and
Morgan Price (No. 83) all list among the national leaders.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: NKU goalkeeper
Rachael Wood has continued to dazzle during her freshman campaign, listing among the nation's best with a 0.73 goals against average, ranking No. 35 in the Division II national statistics, and an .836 save percentage, good for No. 40 nationally.
