Tournament home page
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – For the third consecutive year, the Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team prepares to host the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship this weekend at the NKU Soccer Stadium.
The Norse will take on Quincy in Friday's first semifinal, scheduled for 5 p.m. Wisconsin-Parkside and Bellarmine will square off in the second game of the day. The GLVC Championship will be decided on Sunday, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
Live stats, audio and video links for the weekend are available at nkunorse.com and glvcsports.com.
NKU (15-1-1) advanced to the semifinals on the heels of a 2-1 victory over Missouri-St. Louis last weekend.
Kristi Hofmeyer and
Laura Painter provided the offense early and the defense held strong to preserve the victory against a tough Triton squad.
The Norse will be seeking their eighth GLVC championship overall and their second in three years.
A WORD ABOUT THE LADY HAWKS: Quincy advances to the GLVC semifinals after a 1-0 win over Rockhurst in last weekend's quarterfinal round, the team's 13th shutout in 19 games this season. The Lady Hawks have been keyed off their defense all season, allowing just seven goals while scoring 30.
NKU holds the edge all-time against Quincy, 15-3-1, and has won the last six games against the Lady Hawks. In their regular season meeting, NKU needed double-overtime before
Allison Ponzer picked up the game-winner off a rebound from an
Amanda Mason shot.
STEADY RANKINGS: The Norse didn't do much moving in the latest rankings, holding steady at No. 2 in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region rankings and falling one spot to No. 10 in the latest national poll.
PAINTING THE CORNER: Laura Painter has spent the last two seasons as NKU's corner-kick specialist. The senior defender showed just how much she has honed her craft in that area in last weekend's GLVC quarterfinal against Missouri-St. Louis. In the fourth minute, Painter fed
Kristi Hofmeyer for a beautifully placed header goal. Then, in the 10th minute, Painter needed no help at all as she angled her corner kick directly into the net for her second goal of the season.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Norse have thrived at the NKU Soccer Stadium since the facility opened in 2010. NKU has sported a record of 18-1-1 on the home pitch since the opening of the $6.5 million stadium.
WHAT COMES NEXT?: All four teams in the GLVC Tournament project to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, which will take the top six teams in the region, including automatic qualifiers for the GLVC and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The top two teams in the region will be afforded the opportunity to host first and second-round games.
