The Norse will look to secure hosting rights in the first round of the GLVC Tournament with a win on Friday against UMSL.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky women's soccer team returns home after a two-week road trip, playing host to two Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Missouri-St. Louis on Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
The Norse close out the 2011 home schedule on Sunday against Maryville noon. Live audio/stats links for both matches can be found at nkunorse.com.
This past weekend, the Norse (13-1, 11-1 GLVC) picked up two key conference wins, including a 1-0 victory over Quincy last Friday. At the time, the Lady Hawks were tied with the Norse for the top spot in the conference. The match went all the way to the second overtime period before
Allison Ponzer found the back of the net in the 108th minute to give NKU the win.
On Sunday, Northern Kentucky defeated Illinois Springfield 3-0.
Kristi Hofmeyer,
Amanda Mason, and
Hannah Wissel each scored goals in the win.
Cassie Lingenhoel picked up the shutout, making four saves in the process.
A WORD ABOUT MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS: The Tritons enter this weekend with an overall record of 8-6, and a 7-5 mark in GLVC play. Missouri-St. Louis has won three matches in a row, including a 1-0 decision in overtime against Indianapolis this past Sunday.
NKU defeated the Tritons in their only matchup last season in St. Louis.
Taylor Jennings scored the game's only goal in the 73rd minute to give the Norse the road victory. The Norse lead the all-time series against UMSL, 18-2.
A WORD ABOUT MARYVILLE: The Saints enter this weekend's contests with an overall record of 4-10-1 and a 4-8 record in league play. Maryville is coming off a 2-1 win over Kentucky Wesleyan this past Sunday.
The Norse defeated the Saints 4-0 last season behind goals from
Amanda Mason,
Megan Frye,
Sarah Smith, and
Allison Ponzer.
Rachael Wood made two saves to earn the shutout. Sunday will mark the third meeting between the Norse and the Saints, with NKU holding victories in both previous games.
POSTSEASON SCENARIO: With a win on Friday, NKU will secure a home game in the quarterfinal round of the GLVC Tournament, set to begin next weekend at the campus sites of the top four seeds. The highest remaining seed after the quarterfinal round will host the final two rounds of the tournament on Nov. 4-6.
ALMOST THERE: Head Coach
Bob Sheehan needs just one more win to reach the 250-win mark at NKU. The only head coach in NKU program history; he enters this weekend with a coaching record of 249-52-16. Sheehan entered the season ranked eighth all-time among Division II coaches for wins, with each of the top eight being active coaches.
BACK IN THE TOP 10: Northern Kentucky finds itself back in the top 10 rankings this week. After spending last week in the No. 11 spot the Norse moved up two places, and are now ranked No. 9, tying their highest ranking of the season.
REGIONAL RANKINGS: NKU was ranked No. 2 in the Midwest region when the first official NCAA Division II regional rankings were released on Wednesday. Six teams from the Midwest region will be invited to the NCAA Tournament, with the top two seeds hosting first and second round games.
MASON THE LEADER: Senior
Amanda Mason stands atop the GLVC leader board in all three major statistical categories. She ranks first with 40 points, 14 goals, and 12 assists.
Mason has 13 more points than her nearest competitor. Wisconsin-Parkside's Shannon Becker has 27 points.
OFFENSIVE VARIETY: Northern Kentucky has six different players with at least four goals, and nine different players with four assists. Behind Mason,
Allison Ponzer ranks second in goals with nine. She is followed by
Kelsey Laumann (7),
Stacie Volker (6), and
Kristi Hofmeyer (5).
Mason leads the team with 12 assists, and Ponzer also follows her in the category with eight assists. As a team, the Norse have scored 57 goals in 14 games.
