HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team travels to Peoria, Ill., to take on the Bradley Braves on Saturday evening. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Links to live stats and video can be found on nkunorse.com.
The Norse (2-6) are riding a two-match winning streak after road wins over Belmont and Western Illinois. The win against Belmont came in dramatic fashion, as
Kevin Walker found the game-winner in the 89th minute. NKU needed another late goal to defeat Western Illinois, as
Mohammad Salhieh scored what proved to be the game-winner in the 86th minute.
Bradley (4-3-2) is coming off a road loss to San Jose State. The Braves own wins over Eastern Illinois, Nebraska-Omaha, Portland, and Lipscomb. Bradley entered the season ranked in the NSCAA/Continental Tire coaches' poll. The Braves play their home matches at Shea Stadium and are averaging 700 fans per contest.
Keegan Balle and Jochen Graf lead Bradley offensively. Balle has played in all nine matches and has five goals and two assists. His 12 points lead the team. Graf has played in seven contests and is tied with Balle for the team lead with five goals. Keeper Brian Billings owns a 1.26 goals allowed average and has made 32 saves.
HEAD COACH JOHN BASALYGA'S CORNER:
On the win over Belmont: “It was a great game; the kids really hung in there. Belmont did a nice job and scored early. We came back late in the game and tied it up on a goal by
Cian McDonald, and then
Kevin Walker got behind the defense with about a minute and half left in the game and scored.”
On Walker being named player of the week: “Being a freshman and getting the game winner is really neat for him. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for him, and he continues to get better moving forward.”
On the win over Western Illinois: “We were pretty tired; we've been on the road all year long. I think Tuesday was one of those games where we started a little sluggish. They were as young as we are and had just as many freshmen on the field as we did. So it was a matter of who was going to impose their will the fastest and the longest, and we just hung in there.
Mohammad Salhieh headed a ball in with about five minutes left to give us the win.”
On Bradley: “The thing about Bradley is they're always going to bring you a lot of energy, and they play at a great facility. It's a great place to play and a great environment. It will be a good game for us to see where we're at. Finally after this game we're done with this road stuff and we'll start playing some home games. The kids have done a really nice job considering how much time we've spent on the bus.”
