NKU goes for its third-straight regular-season title on Wednesday against Bellarmine.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - A battle of nationally ranked women's soccer squads will decide the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular-season champion on Wednesday when No. 9 Northern Kentucky University clashes with No. 21 Bellarmine. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:55 p.m.
NKU (14-1, 12-1 GLVC) can win its third-straight regular-season crown with a win or draw against Bellarmine. With the championship comes the No. 1 seed in the upcoming GLVC Tournament.
The Norse went back-and-forth with Missouri-St. Louis last weekend before coming up on the right side of a 3-2 decision. A 10-minute flurry of action saw the game tied and untied twice before
Megan Frye put home the game-winning goal in the 86th minute to give NKU the victory.
A WORD ABOUT THE KNIGHTS: Bellarmine is winners of its last five games following their only real hiccup of the season in back-to-back losses to Wisconsin-Parkside and Indianapolis. The Knights have done it with defense in 2011, allowing just 10 goals on the season while posting eight shutouts.
NKU has dominated the all-time series, 14-1-1.
TOP 25 CLASH: The NKU women held steady at No. 9 in this week's
NCAA Division II national poll, while Bellarmine jumped two spots to No. 21.
REGIONAL RANKINGS: This match will undoubtedly hold considerable significance for NCAA Tournament seeding, as NKU currently sits as the No. 2 team in the Midwest Region, with Bellarmine as No. 3. The top two teams in each region are afforded the opportunity to host first and second-round games in the NCAA Tournament.
THE BEST AROUND: No player in Division II has amassed more points than
Amanda Mason. Mason enters Wednesday's contest with 42 points on the strength of 15 goals and 12 assists. Individually, her goal total ranks her second in the nation behind Limestone's Ashley Alderin-Fleagle (17) and her assist total falls one short of the national lead.
DEFENSIVE SIMILARITIES: The Norse and the Knights have profiled very similarly from a defensive standpoint this season. Both teams have allowed just 10 goals each this season, and NKU has claimed nine shutouts on the year while Bellarmine has amassed eight.
WHO WANTS TO WIN?: Plenty of Norse do, as eight different NKU players have claimed game-winning goals this season.
Amanda Mason and
Allison Ponzer share the team lead with three, while
Kelsey Laumann and
Kristi Hofmeyer each claim two difference makers.
TAKE THE SHOT: NKU has turned plenty of shots towards net, outshooting opponents 277-111 on the season. However, the Norse actually been outshot in two their last three games, both wins (at Quincy and at Illinois Springfield). The only other time this season NKU has been outshot was on Sept. 30 against Wisconsin-Parkside.
