HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team will head to Nashville this weekend to face Lipscomb on Saturday Oct. 19. This will be the only road game for the Norse in their upcoming stretch of four games in eight days.
The Norse hosted Lipscomb last season and the Bisons claimed the 1-0 victory in overtime. After a scoreless 90 minutes, the Bisons' Tyler Burkhardt scored in the opening minute of overtime in NKU's final game of the 2012 season. The Bisons are currently second in the Atlantic Sun with a 7-5-1 (3-1) overall record. They lead the conference in shot attempts and are second in goals per game, averaging 1.31.
"It's a big game for us from the perspective that if you want to validate who you are, you have to beat the teams above you," said head coach
John Basalyga. "They are a really good team and that's why they are second in the conference."
After the Saturday game in Nashville, the Norse will return home for a three game home-stand next week. They will start it off Monday against IUPUI and then they will host East Tennessee State and Jacksonville. The Norse are very familiar with IUPUI. They played the Jaguars last season and the two sides have met numerous times in spring exhibition games over the past few years.
"This is going to be a good game because it's a local game," said Basalyga. "We are two similar programs that are looking to move up. It's going to be a fun, competitive game."
After the IUPUI game, the Norse will play ETSU on Wednesday Oct. 23 and Jacksonville on Oct. 26. This will be the longest home-stand for the Norse this season and they will look to continue their unbeaten run at home, as the Norse are 0-0-2 at the NKU Soccer Stadium this season.
"We just tell our guys to survive and move on," said Basalyga. "We take things one game at a time and we just look to improve each game."
Promotions for the IUPUI game include:
MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT – Presented by the Kentucky National Guard. FREE admission to all men and women in the military with their military ID and to all veterans. Admission for their family members and friends will be $1.
NKU STUDENTS – Enter for a chance to win a "Swag Bag" from the Kentucky National Guard. Students will also be eligible to win an NKU soccer scarf and a limited edition NKU dogtag.
Live stats and a link to the live video feed for the Lipscomb game will be available on nkunorse.com. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Monday's game against IUPUI is also scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Live stats will be available on nkunorse.com and follow @NKUNorse on Twitter for game updates.
