Amanda Mason (right, in black) leads the Norse with nine goals and 28 points.
NCAA Midwest Sub-Regional Tournament Page
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team waits patiently to learn its opponent in the NCAA Division II Tournament as Quincy and Saginaw Valley square off in Friday's first-round contest at Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. NKU will face the winner of the Quincy-Saginaw Valley game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Norse, now 18-2 on the season, defeated Quincy on Sunday, 1-0, to win their seventh Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship.
Amanda Mason scored the first-half goal on a header from a
Laura Painter free kick, while
Rachael Wood's three saves were good enough for her sixth shutout of the season and NKU's 13th consecutive victory.
NKU is making its ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is hosting early-round games for the fifth time in program history. In 2005, NKU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on its home field before suffering a 2-0 loss at the hands of Grand Valley State. The Norse are the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region and have earned a bye into the second round of the tournament.
The winner of Sunday's contest will advance to play the winner of the Grand Valley State regional next weekend. Grand Valley plays host to the winner of the Bellarmine-Indianapolis game this Sunday.
A WORD ABOUT QUINCY: The Lady Hawks should look very familiar to NKU as Friday will mark the fourth game Quincy has played this season at Town & Country Sports Complex. Tony Eye continues to shine as one of the top goalkeepers in Division II, laying claim to 11 of Quincy's 12 shutouts on the year as Quincy boasts a 14-5-1 record. Jenna Boyko, the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year, leads the team with 11 goals on the year. Quincy enters Friday's contest as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region and the No. 24 team in the NCAA Division II national poll. NKU is 12-3-1 in the all-time series against Quincy.
A WORD ABOUT SAGINAW VALLEY: The Cardinals have qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, boasting a 12-2-3 record after taking Grand Valley State to penalty kicks in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament last weekend. SVSU claims the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region. Offensively, Jacylyn Barrett leads the way with 12 goals and shares the team lead with five assists, while Samantha Echols is not far behind with eight goals herself. Anne Berschbach has started 16 of SVSU's 19 games in net, claiming nine shutouts in those games and boasting a 0.55 goals against average.
LAST TIME AGAINST SAGINAW VALLEY: NKU scorted three first-half goals as the netminders were only tasked with one save as the Norse took a 4-0 decision over Saginaw Valley on Aug. 29, 2003. The Norse have won all four matches against the Cardinals in program history.
LAST TIME QUINCY AND SVSU MET: Beth Hettenhausen scored a first-half goal and Becky Fleming added the insurance marker with seven minutes remaining to give Quincy a 2-0 win over Saginaw Valley State on Sept. 7, 2008. The all-time series between the teams is tied at 1-1.
ALL-GLVC HONORS: NKU boasts three All-GLVC performers as
Amanda Mason and
Kristi Hofmeyer were named to the All-GLVC first team while junior
Danielle Hogue earned a spot on the third team. Additionally, head coach
Bob Sheehan earned his seventh GLVC Coach of the Year award.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Despite a strong run to a GLVC Tournament championship, the Norse found themselves down one spot in the NCAA Division II national poll at No. 11 this week.
NOT A LOT OF OFFENSE: Five of the seven games in the GLVC Tournament ended with 1-0 scores, including NKU's victory in the championship game against Quincy. Only NKU's quarterfinal match against Rockhurst (4-0) and semifinal match against Indianapolis (3-0) saw multiple goals scored.
