Week 7 Game Notes | Atlantic Sun Weekly Release
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team returns home to welcome Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson to the NKU Soccer Stadium for the first time in Atlantic Sun Conference action this weekend.
The Norse take on FGCU on Friday at 7 p.m. and will return to action on Sunday to face Stetson with kickoff scheduled for noon. Live stats for both matches will be available at NKUNorse.com.
NKU enters the weekend 4-6-1 overall and 0-2-0 in the conference after dropping road decisions to Mercer and Kennesaw State a week ago to begin A-Sun play. Mercer used three first-half goals to cruise to a 3-1 over the Norse on Friday, while Katrina Frost's two goals helped Kennesaw State defeated NKU, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon.
ABOUT FLORIDA GULF COAST: FGCU leads the conference with a 7-3-1 overall record and a perfect 2-0-0 mark in the A-Sun. Last weekend, the Eagles defeated Jacksonville (2-1) and North Florida (3-0) to start conference play. For their efforts, freshmen Paulina Speckmaier and Tessa Berger received A-Sun Player of the Week and Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively.
Overall, freshman Tabby Tindell's 16 points (seven goals, two assists) guides the Eagle offense, while Speckmaier ranks second on the team with four goals and one assist for nine points on the year. Sophomore goalkeeper Brittany Brown has only allowed 12 goals so far this season and holds a 1.08 goals against average.
LAST TIME AGAINST FLORIDA GULF COAST: A year ago, FGCU scored five goals in the second half to pull away for a 6-0 victory over NKU on Sept. 30 in Fort Myers, Fla. Shannen Wacker, who returns for her junior season this year, collected three goals on the day to lead the Eagles to the win. The win gave FGCU a 1-0 lead in the all-time series between the two schools.
ABOUT STETSON: Stetson is 3-6-1 on the year and 1-1-0 in the conference after splitting a pair of A-Sun games last weekend. The Hatters defeated North Florida, 1-0, on Friday evening before falling to Jacksonville, 2-1, on Sunday to close out their first weekend of A-Sun action.
Seniors Alyssa Welsh, Kait Jones and Amber Grose lead the Hatters offense with four points each. Welsh and Jones have recorded two goals, while Grose has collected four assists on the year. Senior goalkeeper Victoria Troccoli has played every minute in goal for Stetson and holds a 1.92 GAA before the Hatters face Lipscomb on Friday.
LAST TIME AGAINST STETSON: Last season, Kathryn Hale's goal in the seventh minute lifted the Norse to a 1-0 victory over the Hatters on Sept. 28 in DeLand, Fla., in the only meeting between the two programs. The win marked the first A-Sun victory for the Norse since beginning the transition to the NCAA Division I level.
NKU ended with a 13-10 advantage in shots, led by Kelsey Zwergel's four attempts, and edged Stetson in corner kicks by a 6-5 margin. Stephanie Glass and Cassie Lingenhoel combined for the second Norse shutout of the season. Glass finished with four saves in the first half, while Lingenhoel added two saves in the second.
HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE: After struggling to get a win at home last season, the Norse enter the weekend looking to remain unbeaten at home this season. NKU boasts a 3-0-1 mark at the NKU Soccer Stadium this season. The Norse opened its home schedule with a scoreless draw against Murray State on Aug. 25 and added wins against Tennessee Tech (Sept. 1), Canisius (Sept. 8) and Youngstown State (Sept. 15) in non-conference action.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS: Friday night will be Greek night at the NKU Soccer Stadium. Each fraternity and sorority member in attendance will receive points for their respective group in a season-long competition.
Faculty and staff members will receive free admission with their All Card on Sunday afternoon. The Sunday Funday Soccer Bingo game will once again be played during the game with the winner receiving an NKU t-shirt and a Toppers Pizza coupon.
