Northern Kentucky University Athletics

NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament Page

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team opens the NCAA Division II Tournament on Friday with a rematch against top-seeded Drury. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern.

Live stats and audio links are available from nkunorse.com.

It marks the second time in as many games that the Norse and Panthers will face off. Just five days ago, Drury bested NKU by a 1-0 score in the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship game. Earlier this season, the Norse took a 2-1 decision from Drury on the Panthers' home field.

NKU enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 15-5-2 and is the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region.

The winner of Friday's game will take on the winner of the Ashland-Lewis contest in the Midwest Regional championship on Sunday. The game kicks off at 2 p.m. Eastern.

A WORD ABOUT DRURY: Steve Wilczewski, Drury's leading scorer, notched his 16th goal of the season in the 79th minute of Sunday's GLVC Championship game against NKU. He and Micah Whorton, who boasts 15 goals and 15 assists, have dominated opposing defenses throughout the 2009 season, as evidenced by Drury's 20-1 record. Stephen Connor, the GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, has 14 shutouts on the season against his miniscule 0.49 goals against average. NKU holds the edge in the all-time series, 3-2.

A CLASS ALL THEIR OWN: NKU seniors Braden Bishop, Keith Kelly, Seth Eckerlin, Chris Dobrowolski and Alex Allison have brought with them a new era of success. Before these gentlemen joined the Norse, NKU had never seen NCAA postseason play. Since, NKU has never missed a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS: Four NKU players earned spots on the All-GLVC teams. Steven Beattie was named the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight year, joining Seth Eckerlin and Chris Dobrowolski on the first team. Braden Bishop was honored for the fourth year in his career, taking second-team honors.