HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team is preparing to begin Atlantic Sun conference play this weekend. The Norse will travel south to take on Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson.
The Norse will open conference play at Stetson on Friday Oct. 4. They will travel to Deland, Fla. For the first time, as they played host to the Hatters last season. The Norse won last year's contest 1-0, thanks to a 34th-minute goal from
Nick Toney. The Hatters are 1-5-2 this season and are coming off of a 3-1 home loss against La Salle.
"They are a typical southern school that is very good at maintaining possession," said head coach
John Basalyga. "The key for us will be to disposes them and counter attack. Anytime you have to get on a plane to travel, it changes the dynamic of the game."
The Norse will have a day of rest after playing the Hatters to travel to Fort Meyers, Fla. to take on Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday Oct. 6. The Eagles were picked to win the Atlantic Sun this season and they currently hold a 2-5-1 record. They are coming off back-to-back overtime wins against Pennsylvania and Princeton. The Norse and Eagles played to a 1-1 draw last season, marking NKU's only draw of the season.
"They are coming off two big wins and a nationally televised game against Princeton," said Basalyga. "They have a very successful tradition and that tradition is almost worth a goal a game in itself. They have played a pretty challenging schedule this season but they know how to find ways to win games."
The Norse are coming off a scoreless draw against Bowling Green State. It was the first time all season that they Norse have been shutout and it was the sixth time this season that the Norse played an overtime game. The Norse are also unbeaten in their last five games. Though the Norse have been inconsistent on offense, the defensive front has played at a very high level this season.
"During this streak, our back four has played really well," said Basalyga. "
Gavin Colton,
Ian O'Reilly,
Alex Weber, and
Nick McGregor have all done well, playing together as a unit. The have helped out
A.J. Fleak a lot but when called on, Fleak has been able to make some great saves this season. We just need to find a way to score."
The offense has struggled but Basalyga believes they are soon to make a turn in the right direction.
"We just have to keep taking chances when we get them," said Basalyga. "You have to find guys that want to score. You are going to lose or miss shots a lot but you can't let that worry you. The guys that step up and take chances will eventually find positive results."
The game against Stetson on Friday Oct. 4 will begin at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at nkunorse.com. Live stats for the Florida Gulf Coast game on Sunday Oct. 6 will also be available at nkunorse.com. Follow @NKUNorseMSOC on Twitter for updates on the NKU men's soccer team. Also, follow @NKUNorse for game updates and all other news concerning NKU athletics.
