Box ScoreJACKSONVILLE, Fla.- NKU women's soccer (9-7-3, 4-3-1 A-Sun) shutout North Florida (5-12-1, 3-4-1) 2-0 in the opening round of the Atlantic Sun Women's Soccer Tournament on Saturday. The win was NKU's first A-Sun tournament win since moving to NCAA Division I, advancing the team to the conference semi-final round.
"It's very exciting," women's soccer head coach
Bob Sheehan said. "I think our players have worked exceptionally hard. They've been very driven and very focused. Team morale is where it's supposed to be this time of year. I'm really pleased and proud of our players and their performance."
The Norse got on the board first when
Aubrey Muench found the back of the net in the fourth minute. After the ball was initially played into the box by NKU, UNF attempted to clear it and Muench was there for the put-back, beating the Ospreys keeper to the right. The goal was Muench's fifth of the season.
The Norse would attempt six shots in the first 45 minutes, with Muench taking three,
Kelsey Laumann taking two and
Macy Hamblin taking one. NKU lead in shot attempts 6-1 and in corner kicks 3-1.
In the second half, the Norse added to their lead when
Jessica Frey beat the keeper for her fifth goal of the season in the 47
th min. Muench took the initial shot that was deflected by UNF goalkeeper Megan Dorsey, Frey then booted the deflection to put the Norse up 2-0. Muench was credited with the assist, her third of the season.
Norse goalkeeper Brook Schocker notched her seventh win of the season. Schocker faced seven shots by UNF and recorded one save in keeping her sheet clean for the match.
NKU will now travel to FGCU on Friday in the semifinal round with kickoff set for 7 p.m. On the other side of the bracket, Kennesaw State will face Lipscomb at 4:00 p.m. The winners will play on Sunday for the A-Sun Conference Tournament Championship. The semi-finals and final will be played FGCU.
For more information on the Northern Kentucky University women's soccer program and all Norse athletics, please visit NKUNorse.com.
