Andrew Huang is a speedy outside midfielder for the Norse.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team opens Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Thursday with a road contest at Southern Indiana.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from Strassweg Field in Evansville, Ind.
NKU (2-0) posted a pair of strong wins in the seventh annual John Toebben Classic, defeating West Virginia Wesleyan, 3-1, and Lake Erie, 6-1. Southern Indiana (0-1) lost in its season opener against Martin Methodist (Tenn.), 5-1.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST USI: Steven Beattie scored a pair of goals as the Norse took a 5-1 decision over the Screaming Eagles in Wilder, Ky.
Eric Ashworth and
Zach Roesch added goals, while
Mike Jonca converted a penalty kick to cap the scoring.
ALL-TIME RESULTS: Southern Indiana holds a 14-11-2 edge in the all-time series against NKU, which dates back to the 1983 season. While the Screaming Eagles went 11-0-2 in the first 13 meetings between the teams, the Norse have stormed back, winning the last five meetings between the teams and nine of the last 11.
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY: Thursday will mark just the second time in the last six seasons that the Norse have played in Evansville. The Screaming Eagles hold a 5-3-1 edge in the all-time series on their home turf.
IRISH EYES ARE SCORING: NKU's Irish-born contingent of
Steven Beattie,
Paul Andrews and
Andrew Montgomery has had a boot in seven of NKU's nine goals on the season. Montgomery leads the team with three goals and assisted on
Seth Eckerlin's goal against Lake Erie. Beattie has scored a pair of goals and has one assist. Andrews, a stalwart of the defense, also picked up an assist last weekend.
NATIONALLY RANKED: After starting the season as the No. 4 team in the nation, NKU gained two places last week to climb to No. 2 in the NCAA Division II national poll. NKU has been ranked for the last 33 consecutive weeks and has spent the last five in the top 10.
