Men's Soccer | 10/2/2014 10:52:00 AM

Game Notes

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team is preparing to open up Atlantic Sun Conference play this weekend with a match against one of the top teams in the league; the Lipscomb Bisons.
 
The Bisons were picked to win the conference this season by the A-Sun coaches in the preseason poll. So far this season, Lipscomb has gotten off to a 7-2 (1-0 A-Sun) start while averaging over two goals per game this season. The Norse topped the Bisons in Nashville last season by a score of 2-1. NKU scored two goals in the opening thirteen minutes and hung on for the victory.
 
"The thing that is different about Lipscomb is that they returned every starting this year," said head coach John Basalyga. "They are projecting to have the best team in their school's history. There is just as much pressure on them to perform as there is on us to perform against them. With the experience, they won't rattle as easy in bigger games."
 
The Norse are eligible for the A-Sun tournament this season and the top-six teams in the standings qualify for the competition. The Norse are picked to finish third in the A-Sun this year and coach Basalyga knows the importance of getting off to a good start in conference play.
 
"There are only six conference games and you have to make the most of every game, no matter who it is," said Basalyga. "Every game is important and we need to pickup as many points as we can. We can't have a hiccup because there isn't a lot of room for error with only six games."
 
The past couple of games have not gone the way the Norse would have hoped. NKU dropped games against Western Michigan (4-0) and Western Illinois (2-0) without scoring a goal. With Atlantic Sun play approaching, it is crucial for the Norse to find a rhythm heading into the second half of the 2014 season.
 
"Yogi Berra said it best when he said ninety percent of the game is half mental," said Basalyga. "Our non-conference schedule allowed us to play enough good teams that challenged us and prepared us to compete in conference play. We still have some good non-conference games left on the schedule so we have a lot of work to do. We have to take the mistakes we made from earlier in the season and learn from them."
 
Kickoff against Lipscomb is scheduled for 7p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4. It is Junior Norse Night and all kids 12 and under will receive FREE admission.
 
Links for live stats and video broadcast can be found at nkunorse.com. If you are searching for more content on the NKU men's soccer team throughout the rest of the conference season, follow @NKUNorseMSOC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.