Northern Kentucky University Athletics

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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - It may have been a long road to get this far for the Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team, but it will be a short bus ride to reach their NCAA national semifinal match against Dowling (N.Y.) on Thursday in Louisville, Ky.

The Norse (18-2-3) hope to advance to the NCAA National Championship game for the first time in program history and in order to do so, they will have to go through the same team that thwarted their efforts at a national title in 2008.

Live stats, audio and video links are available at nkunorse.com.

A WORD ABOUT DOWLING: The Golden Lions sport a 12-1-6 record and are the champions of the East Region.

Dowling is the champion of the East Coast Conference, defeating Bridgeport, 2-1, in the conference final.

The Golden Lions received a bye into the second round of the NCAA tournament. Dowling then played Southern Connecticut State to a 1-1 draw before advancing with a 7-6 win in the penalty kick shootout. Dowling then defeated Franklin Pierce, 1-0, in the East Region championship game to advance to the national semifinals.

Sean Dougherty leads the Golden Lion offense with nine goals, including five game winners. Chris Kucera will provide the last line of defense. Kucera has allowed just 13 goals on the year and has compiled eight shutouts.

Dowling's only loss on the season came on Sept. 25, a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Southern New Hampshire.

LAST TIME AGAINST DOWLING: Lamine Traore's lob in the 97th minute proved to be a golden goal to propel the Golden Lions to a 2-1 victory in the 2008 NCAA National Semifinals. Traore scored two goals in that contest, including the tying measure in the 81st minute.

Seth Eckerlin got the scoring started for the Norse, heading a cross from Dustin Downey into the back of the net in the fourth minute.

Michael Lavric made two saves in the game for the Norse.

The 2008 game is the only meeting between the teams in school history.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Steven Beattie continues to set the bar higher and higher for those who come after him. This season, he has captured his third straight GLVC Offensive Player of the Year and Daktronics Midwest Region Player of the Year awards and capped his individual accolades by being named the 2010 Ron Lenz National Player of the Year.

Beattie, a senior from Skerries, Ireland, has set new single-season school records for goals (24), assists (16), points (64) and shots (139). He ranks second in Division II for goals and assists and first in the nation for points.

ALL-AMERICA WINNERS: In addition to his Player of the Year award, Beattie was also named a Daktronics first-team All-American.  Defender Paul Andrews, with two goals and nine assists on the season, was named to the All-America second team.

ALL-REGION HONORS: Beattie and Andrews enjoyed selections to the Daktronics All-Midwest Region first team. The Norse also placed two men on the All-Region second team: forward Michael Holder and defender Anthony Meyer. Holder was also honored on the All-GLVC third team and was named the GLVC Freshman of the Year.

UNSTOPPABLE FORCE VS. IMMOVABLE OBJECT: This semifinal contest will be a classic battle of strong offense against strong defense. The Norse have scored eight goals in three games the NCAA tournament, second only to semifinalist Midwestern State, which has amassed 11 goals. Dowling, on the other hand, has allowed just one goal in two games.

WORKING OVERTIME: The Norse have seen much success in extra time this season, boasting a 3-0-3 record in overtime games. Holder has scored all three golden goals for the Norse in 2010.

BIG OFFENSE...: The 2010 edition of the NKU Norse have been one of the strongest offensive teams in program history. The 63 goals scored by the Norse is third all-time in team history. NKU scored 66 goals during the 1996 season and 69 goals in 1994.

That offense is predicated on good passing, and the Norse have seen that this year as well. NKU has amassed 58 assists as a team this year, a single-season team record.

...KEYED OFF BEATTIE: Of the 63 goals the Norse have scored this season, 40 of them have either been scored or assisted by Beattie, meaning that 64 percent of NKU's offense has flowed through the feet of the Norse captain.

WORKING FROM THE BACK: NKU has seen its offense flow from the back to the front, with the Norse backs being credited with 21 assists. Andrews stands second on the team with nine assists as he takes the long-distance set pieces. Andrews also has a goal from over 55 yards away against Ashland earlier this season. Meyer handles throw-ins deep in the offensive end and has picked up three assists in that role.

LONG SEASON: Thursday's national semifinal will be the 24th game for the Norse this season, tying a program record set in 2007. Six different NKU players (Beattie, Lavric, Andrews, Nicholas Chiarot, Peter Magier and Jordan Kotsopoulous) have a chance to also tie the individual record for games played by participating in Thursday's contest.