HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The NKU men's soccer team has been training all week in preparation for this weekend's contests against Western Michigan and Loyola-Chicago. Both games will be played in Charleston, Ill., as part of the 50 Years of Soccer tournament hosted by Eastern Illinois.
The first game of the weekend for the Norse will be on Friday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. against Western Michigan. The Broncos are 0-4 on the season but had a strong season last year in the powerhouse Mid-American Conference. They finished fourth in the conference that includes the likes of the NCAA Division I 2010 National Champion Akron Zips.
"They are very competitive, and they will be a big challenge for us," said head coach John Basalyga. "They will be much bigger and faster than us, and they are coming off a good year last season against tough opponents. They know what it takes to win."
The Norse will have a day to rest before taking on Loyola-Chicago on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. The Ramblers are 2-1 this season and finished 5-12-2 in 2012. Basalyga will look for an offensive minded lineup to take on a side that has recorded back-to-back shutouts this season.
"We are going to go out there and just try to survive the first half," said Basalyga. "After that, we will go on to make halftime adjustments and try to get a result. We haven't seen them before so we are expecting a new kind of challenge for us."
The key for the Norse will be finding a consistent lineup that is going to perform week in and week out. Basalyga has made a few tweaks in the starting lineup in each game this season in hopes to find his team's strongest 11 players.
"We are still trying to figure things out for ourselves," said Basalyga. "Until we figure that out, we are going to be very inconsistent and stay that way all year. Our main goal is to try to find consistency in training and on the field before we head into conference play."
Live stats will be available for this weekend's action at nkunorse.com. Also, be sure to follow @NKUNorse on Twitter for play-by-play updates, as well as all other news concerning NKU athletics. While on Twitter, follow @NKUNorseMSOC for updates and news on the NKU men's soccer team.
