HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team returns to the NKU Soccer Stadium this weekend for a pair of Atlantic Sun Conference games after completing a three-game road trip.
 
The weekend starts with a 7 p.m. contest against Jacksonville on Friday evening, and NKU welcomes North Florida to Highland Heights on Sunday.  Kickoff for Sunday's action is scheduled to start at noon.  Links to live stats and the ASun.TV broadcast for both games are available at NKUNorse.com.  For live updates during the game, be sure to follow @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter.  News on the NKU women's soccer team can also be found on social media by following @NKUNorseWSOC on Facebook and Twitter.
 
The Norse enter the weekend 4-3-3 overall and 0-0-1 in the Atlantic Sun.  NKU used three second-half goals to defeat Francis Marion, 4-3, last Friday.  Aubrey Muench, Macy Hamblin, Morgan Shafer and Elizabeth Wittwer each scored goals against the Colonials as the Norse took a win into the start of conference play.  Muench scored her second goal of the season and the only one for NKU against USC Upstate on Sunday as the two teams played to a 1-1 draw.
 
ABOUT JACKSONVILLE:  The Dolphins are 7-4-1 on the year and 1-0-0 in the Atlantic Sun after posting a 2-1 victory over Stetson a week ago.  Kaitlyn Bassett, the preseason co-conference player of the year, put Jacksonville in the lead in the 14th minute, and Sope Akindoju added the insurance goal in the second half before the Hatters netted their goal is the 66th minute. 
 
Akindoju leads the Dolphins offense with nine points on three goals and a team-leading three assists.  Bassett and Marie Weckhurst have each scored three goals as well, and Bassett has added two assists for Jacksonville.
 
Sarah Sierra has been solid in goal this season for the Dolphins.  She boasts a 0.83 goals against average, which ranks third in the Atlantic Sun.  Sierra tops the conference standings with her 63 saves and .863 saves percentage.  She has only allowed 10 goals over Jacksonville's 12 games, landing fourth in the Atlantic Sun in that category.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST JACKSONVILLE:  Kaitlyn Bassett's goal in the 80th minute lifted Jacksonville to a 3-2 victory over NKU on Oct. 13, 2013, at the Southern Oaks Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. 
 
Sami Rutowski and Casey McMillan each converted penalty kick opportunities to give the Norse a 2-0 advantage before the Dolphins began their comeback.  Julia Burton scored a pair of goals to tie the game over a two-minute span, with the second coming at the 51:45 mark.
 
Joy Grove created an opening on the game-winning play and passed the ball to Bassett, who sent a shot towards the goal from the edge of the six-yard box and past NKU goalkeeper Tanner Ruberg with just over ten minutes left in the game for the victory.
 
The Norse offense put strong pressure the Dolphins' defense through the first 20 minutes, forcing Sierra to make three saves during that time, but Jacksonville ended the day with a 24-13 edge in shots.
 
With the win, the Dolphins took a 2-0 lead in the all-time series with NKU.  Jacksonville defeated the Norse, 2-1, in the teams' first-ever meeting during the 2012 season.
 
ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA:  The Ospreys enter the weekend holding a 2-9 overall record and a 0-1 mark in the Atlantic Sun, and North Florida will face Lipscomb on Friday before making the trip north to play NKU.  The team opened conference play last Friday by dropping a 3-0 decision to Florida Gulf Coast.
 
Kayla Gray and Kayla Aritt pace the North Florida offensive attack with two goals apiece.  Gray leads the team with five points, having collected one assist to go along with her goal total, while Jill Holdsworth tops the Ospreys with two assists.
 
Megan Dorsey has played every minute in goal this season for North Florida.  She holds a 1.95 goals against average and has made 59 saves.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST NORTH FLORIDA:  North Florida scored two second-half goals to seal a 3-0 victory over NKU in Jacksonville, Florida, on Oct. 11, 2012.
 
Gabrielle Liguori put North Florida on the scoreboard in the 11th minute, before the Ospreys added goals from Alexis Bredeau and Lauren Hopfensperger in the second half for the win.
 
Ospreys goalkeeper Megan Dorsey finished with eight saves as the Norse held a 24-22 edge in shot attempts, including a 15-6 advantage in the first half.  Three of NKU's shot attempts bounced off the goal post but the Norse struggled to find the back of the net.
 
Katelyn Newton led the NKU offensive effort with eight shot attempts, while Allison Ponzer added six, including five placed on target.  Norse goalkeeper Tanner Ruberg made five saves for NKU.
 
North Florida leads the all-time series against NKU, 2-0.  A year prior, the Ospreys scored a goal with less than one minute remaining in overtime to take a 3-2 victory at the NKU Soccer Stadium.
 
LAUMANN'S EXTRA PASS:  Kelsey Laumann upped her team-leading assist total to six on Sunday after sending a cross into Aubrey Muench, who then scored the lone Norse goal against USC Upstate.  Laumann's six assists lands her second in the Atlantic Sun behind Florida Gulf Coast's Shannen Wacker, who has contributed to eight goals for the Eagles.
 
After the first 10 games for NKU, the redshirt junior from Cincinnati, Ohio, ranks second on the team in points with 10.  In addition to her six assists, she has scored two goals, including the game-winner against Eastern Illinois to open the season.  Laumann earned her first Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honor on Sept. 15 as she led the Norse to a 1-0-1 record with three points in Week 4, as NKU played Xavier to a 1-1 tie and defeated Robert Morris, 2-1, in overtime.
 
MUENCH MAKING MOVES:  Aubrey Muench stepped up her play over NKU's two games over the weekend, scoring one goal each against Francis Marion and USC Upstate.  On Friday, she brought the Norse even with Francis Marion in the 13th minute, scoring her first goal of the season.  Macy Hamblin sparked the scoring play when her shot attempt bounced off Patriots goalkeeper Taylor O'Berry.  Muench gained control of the ball and tapped her shot past O'Berry.
 
After a scoreless first half on Sunday afternoon against USC Upstate, Muench broke open the game's scoring for NKU in the 52nd minute.  Kelsey Laumann sent a cross into Muench from the wing, and Muench sent her third shot of the game past USC Upstate goalkeeper Ellen Bright for a 1-0 Norse advantage.
 
The redshirt sophomore from Cold Spring, Kentucky, now holds six points on the season with two goals and two assists.  Muench recorded her first assist of the season against Morehead State as NKU played Morehead State to a 1-1 draw on Aug. 24, and her second of the season came in a 6-4 loss to IPFW a week later.
 
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS:  Friday night's contest against Jacksonville will celebrate NKU's annual Kick for a Cure event.  Fans are encouraged to wear pink to support the fight against cancer, and everyone wearing pink will receive $2 admission as well.  Pink thundersticks will be handed out to those in attendance.
 
On Sunday, fans can pick up their #SundayFunday Soccer Bingo cards on their way into the stadium for their chance to win prizes.  Kids are invited to take the field after the game to participate in Shoot Around Sunday and receive player autographs.

Both games over the weekend will be a feature of NKU's Family Weekend activities as well.