Steven Beattie earned the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University's
Steven Beattie was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season, while NKU placed four players on the All-GLVC teams, the league office announced on Thursday.
Beattie also earned first-team honors along with seniors
Seth Eckerlin and
Chris Dobrowolski, while
Braden Bishop was named to the second team.
Beattie, a junior from Skerries, Ireland, is NKU's all-time leading scorer with 50 goals during his three years with the Norse. Beattie led the GLVC this season in shots per game (5.93), goals (15), points (35) and game-winning goals (5) in GLVC play. A dangerous striker who can score at a moment's notice, Beattie is the reigning Ron Lenz Division II National Player of the Year.
Eckerlin, a product of Cincinnati Northwest High School, is one of the most effective ball-possession midfielders in the nation and has been the heart and soul of the NKU midfield over the past three seasons. Eckerlin has netted two goals and added three assists in GLVC play this season, but more importantly he has helped the Norse gain or keep possession through the midfield, allowing the team to outshoot its opponents by a near 2-to-1 ratio.
Dobrowolski, another Cincinnati Northwest High School graduate, has become the anchor of the NKU defense this season. Helping quarterback NKU's ball-possession attack, Dobrowolski has logged more minutes than any other NKU player this season, helping the Norse hold their opponents to a goal a game in conference play.
Bishop, a senior from Centerville, Ohio, has continued his legacy of consistent scoring this season with nine goals overall, eight of which were scored against GLVC opponents. Bishop now has 45 career goals, ranking third all-time at NKU. Bishop earned his fourth career All-GLVC honor. He was the GLVC Freshman of the Year in 2006 and earned All-America honors in 2007.
NKU (14-4-1) opens up GLVC Tournament play on Sunday against Missouri S&T. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. from the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky.
NKU finished the GLVC schedule with an 11-3 record, garnering the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. S&T (7-6-1) is the No. 7 seed, finishing the regular season with a 7-5-1 conference record.
The Norse offense is still paced by the striking tandem of
Steven Beattie and
Braden Bishop. Beattie leads the team with 18 goals and six assists on the season, while Bishop lays claim to 9 goals and five assists in 2009. The men are two of the top three goal scorers in NKU history as Beattie has scored 50 goals and Bishop has added 45.
With a win, NKU will advance to the GLVC Tournament semifinals. The remaining rounds of the tournament will be held in Springfield, Mo. if Drury wins its quarterfinal match against Missouri-St. Louis. Otherwise NKU would serve as the host at Town & Country.
NKU is seeking its first GLVC championship since 1995.
A WORD ABOUT MISSOURI S&T: The Miners' offense is well balanced, with 12 different players scoring at least one goal this year, and none more than three. S&T has been bolstered by the return of Peter Vaccaro, who leads the team with three goals despite missing the first half of the season. Pat McNamee is between the pipes, sporting a goals allowed average just under one and a .788 save percentage.
LAST TIME AGAINST MISSOURI S&T: Alex Oeswein scored his first goal of the season less than a minute into the game and
Steven Beattie added two more in the second half to help NKU to a 3-1 victory in Rolla, Mo.
Michael Lavric tied a career high with eight saves for the Norse, who helped NKU to improve to 8-6 in the all-time series against S&T.
FAMILIAR FOES: NKU and S&T met last season in the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals as well, with NKU taking a 1-0 decision in that game.
Steven Beattie scored the game's only goal as the Norse outshot the Miners, 15-4.
