HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team heads to Spartanburg, South Carolina, to take on Atlantic Sun Conference rivals USC Upstate on Saturday, Oct. 25.
 
The Norse are fresh off a 2-0 home victory over UNC Asheville on Oct. 22, and they look to get a winning streak going in South Carolina this weekend. The match is sure to have postseason repercussions as NKU (3-7-4 overall) sits sixth in the A-Sun standings and Upstate (2-8-1 overall) is seventh. The top six teams in the standings will qualify for the postseason tournament. The regular-season champion will host the tournament, and Florida Gulf Coast currently sits atop the standings. 
 
"We haven't won a game in the conference, so if we want to get into the postseason we have to start," said head coach John Basalyga.
 
NKU ended the 2013 season with a 3-1 victory at USC Upstate last year. The Norse also defeated the Spartans in 2012, bringing their all-time record against USC Upstate to 2-0. Yaw Addai scored the opening goal in the 2013 fixture, and seniors Brendan Murphy and Nick Chiarot scored in the second half to secure the win for the Norse.
 
This year, NKU sits at 0-2-1 in conference play, while USC Upstate is 0-3-0. Both teams will be eager to get the result on the pitch this Saturday,  and Basalyga does not feel the last two years' meetings between the two sides will have any effect this weekend.
 
"It's like flipping a coin anytime you play," said Basalyga. "You can flip a coin 500 times and, either way, it's coming up heads or tails. It doesn't matter what happened in the first 499 flips because it's always a 50/50 chance the next time you flip it. You don't get momentum until you win two games in a row, and we are only coming off one win right now."
 
After scoring NKU's second goal of the game against UNC Asheville, senior Caleb Eastham has tied Cian McDonald as the team leader in goals scored this season with four. In the win over UNC Asheville, the Norse also earned their first clean sheet since their scoreless draw against Lipscomb on Sept. 23.
 
"Anytime you win a game, it gives you confidence moving forward," said Basalyga. "But, we preach to our guys that you are only as good as the next time you step on the field. It's about the next game and that keeps you on your toes."
 
The match is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. on Saturday.  Links for live stats and a live video broadcast will be available at nkunorse.com. Follow @NKUNorseGameDay for live updates via Twitter and while on social media, and be sure to follow @NKUNorseMSOC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for an in-depth look at the team this season.