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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team defeated USC Upstate, 1-0, on Wednesday night at the NKU Soccer Stadium. The Norse remain unbeaten at home, owning a record of 3-0-1.
NKU (7-9-1, 4-2-1 Atlantic Sun) controlled possession for the majority of the game, and outshot the Spartans (5-9-1, 3-4-0 Atlantic Sun) by a 15-5 margin. The Spartans held the advantage on corner kicks, 6-2. The NKU offense generated many chances forward, including a shot that was cleared off the line in the first half.
The Norse scored the match's only goal in the 17th minute.
Brendan Murphy charged forward, and drilled a pass to
Cian McDonald on the far side of the field. McDonald then dribbled to the edge of the 18-yard box, where he sent in a cross that found
Craig Heard, who headed the ball past USC Upstate keeper Dani Alvarado and into the back of the net. It was Heard's third goal of the season, and all of them have been game-winners.
Head coach
John Basalyga was pleased with the effort by McDonald and Heard. “Cian does some nice things. He's played very well lately,” said Basalyga. “Craig has a knack to get into seams where other people aren't, and he was able to find the goal tonight.”
The Spartans struggled to mount scoring threats, but did manage two significant chances. NKU keeper
A.J. Fleak turned away USC Upstate's Dylan Hoop in the 15th minute on a breakaway. Fleak made a similar save in the 66th minute on his way to making three saves on the evening and posting his fourth shutout of the season.
The win ensured Basalyga and the Norse a winning record in the Atlantic Sun. “It was a nice win. We played well in the first half,” said Basalyga. “In the second half, they came out strong and really took the game away from us for a little while. We made a couple subs, and those subs changed the complexion of the game for the rest of the half.”
The Norse will close out their inaugural Division I season by hosting Lipscomb on Saturday. Kickoff at the NKU Soccer Stadium is set for 1 p.m., and senior day festivities will be held prior to the match.
