Game NotesHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team is heading to Nashville to compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament for the first time in school history.
The Norse earned their first postseason bid of the Division I era by finishing sixth in the A-Sun standings. With a 1-4-1 conference record, the Norse managed to grab the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament and they will face the No. 3 seed, Stetson.
"It's good to actually play for something and get in," said head coach
John Basalyga. "It's like any other competition once you get in. All bets are off and it's about how well you play from here on out. I told the guys all year it's just about getting in the tournament. We have to get in the tournament and whatever happens, happens."
On Nov. 1, the Norse defeated Stetson, 1-0, in a double-overtime thriller in Highland Heights.
Diego Martinez netted his first career goal for the Norse, scoring off a rebound in the 102nd minute to give the Norse the win in their final home match of 2014. It was also the only A-Sun victory the Norse had all season. It proved to be an important result for both sides as the Norse jumped over Jacksonville to make the conference tournament and Stetson fell out of the top spot in the A-Sun and missing out on a chance to earn a first round bye.
Scoring goals has been a problem for the Norse this season while Stetson have had no trouble racking up a large tally. The Hatters lead the A-Sun with 34 total goals this year, averaging over two goals-per-game. The Norse have the second lowest number of total goals in the A-Sun with 16 goals on the year. Though goals have been at a premium for the black and gold, NKU is currently second in the A-Sun in shot attempts with 247 shots (13.7 per game).
"Realistically, you can only pickup on some of the tendencies other teams do when you played them before," said Basalyga. "It's going to come down to what happens that night. Each team will be different than when you played them either two days ago or even two weeks ago. This is what makes athletics fun, it's so unpredictable."
The Norse defense will have to be on its game when facing Stetson. Though they held the Hatters scoreless on the Nov. 1 meeting, Stetson has one of the most lethal offenses in the conference. The Norse are 1-9 when giving up two or more goals this season and they have been shutout in seven games this year.
Toby Frohlich and the Norse defense led by
Ian O'Reilly,
Christian Johnson,
Dylan Carss and
Rader Massey have been in good form lately, earning clean sheets in three of the past five matches. Frohlich's goals-against-average is at 1.33, which is third best in the A-Sun.
"We have to shut them out," said Basalyga. "We also have to find a way to score but that has been the story for this team all year long. But this game isn't being played on paper."
Getting the result away from the NKU Soccer Stadium has also been a challenge for the Norse this year. NKU is 0-6 in road games but they are 1-0-1 in neutral site games this year. One advantage for the Norse this weekend is that they won't have to travel as far as Stetson to reach Nashville and the cold weather forecast plays to NKU's advantage.
The match is set to kickoff at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12. A link for live stats and video will be available via nkunorse.com. For more information on the A-Sun Championship including tickets, hotels and other accommodations, go to atlanticsun.org/sports/msoc/championship. For a behind the scenes look at the team as they prepare for the postseason, follow @NKUNorseMSOC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
