Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Box score | Video highlights | Photo gallery

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – One game farther.

That has been the mission of the Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team since reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history back in 2006.

Two years ago, the dream ended at this point. A talented Dowling (N.Y.) squad took an overtime win and ended NKU's climb just short of the summit.

Not this year.

On the back of a two-goal performance from senior captain Steven Beattie, the Norse earned a 4-1 victory over the Golden Lions and will play for the team's first ever national championship this Saturday. NKU will take on Rollins in the championship final at 3 p.m.

It is a journey that began eight years ago for head coach John Basalyga, who watched that 2003 squad win just four games and miss the conference tournament. On Thursday, he watched the Norse improve to 19-2-3 on the season with one game to go.

The Norse offense came out on fire in the first half, scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes. All-America defender Paul Andrews got NKU on the board just 75 seconds into the game, flicking on a header shot past Dowling goalkeeper Chris Kucera for his third goal of the season. Anthony Meyer got the assist on the goal, which ignited the heavily partisan Norse crowd at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.

“I was just trying to throw it at the goalkeeper and make him have to make a decision on whether to play it or not,” said Meyer, who picked up his fifth assist of the season and his second in as many games. ”He just ended up missing it and we headed it into the goal.”

“It's always important to score first, especially against a team like Dowling,” added Beattie. “Experience is on their side. They're a former national champion and have been to this level several times.”

The Ron Lenz National Player of the Year could not be denied forever, as Beattie added a tally of his own in the 10th minute after Andrew Montgomery created a turnover and fed a long through ball to Beattie, who first beat defender Stefan Draskovic and then Kucera on the left post to extend the lead to 2-0.

“We were 50-50 on the ball, and [Draskovic] was much bigger than me,” said Beattie of the eventual game winner. “I just got my body in between him and the ball, got shoulder in there and got a shot off.

“To be honest, I thought he had the ball and was going to hook it away, but somehow it found my feet and I put it away. It was an absolute delight.”

Beattie added another goal in the 39th minute off a direct free kick from 20 yards out for his 26th goal of the year, putting him just one behind the nation's leading scorer.

It took just 50 seconds for Dowling to answer and get themselves on the board. After a strong corner kick was headed off the crossbar by an NKU defender, an all-out scramble in the penalty area put the ball at the feet of Sulemana Ali, who knocked in his third goal of the year to cut the lead to 3-1.

The Norse made their adjustments in the second half, however, and shut down any hopes of a Dowling comeback.

“We played better in the second half than we did in the first,” said Basalyga, who enjoyed his 115th coaching victory. “We were able to figure out what they were doing and make the adjustments.”

The Norse boss gave a lot of credit for the defensive shutdown to the young Norse midfield, including Michael Bartlett, Nicholas Chiarot and Jordan Kotsopolous.

“The composure that those three kids had on a stage like this was unbelievable,” said Basalyga. “They neutralized the opposing midfield for the most part and took away some of their options.

“They're not the most technical players, but they're like puppy dogs that just bug you all day long. They're little gnats.”

With time running short, freshman Michael Holder put the icing on the cake with his 14th goal of the season on a takeaway deep in Dowling territory.

Michael Lavric was hardly tested in the game, seeing just five shots and making one save in the victory.

Though it may have seemed one-sided, Basalyga was quick to praise the opposition, “This is a very talented team with a great pedigree. We're very humbled to be able to play at the level that they play. It was a great game.”

Meyer was happy to have banished the ghost of 2008's semifinal defeat, “I still remember that game two years ago, and the way the boys came out today and fought hard and the confidence we had made it that much sweeter.”

So now the Tars of Rollins await, the one game farther, the chance at a national championship.

Saturday's title clash will be the seventh time a Norse team has played for a national championship. The men's basketball team played in back-to-back national title games in 1996 and 1997. The women's soccer team was defeated by UC-San Diego in the 2000 national championship game, while the women's basketball team captured national titles in 2000 and 2008 while falling short in the 2003 championship game.