NASHVILLE – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team defeated Stetson, 1-0, in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships. Ian O'Reilly scored from a corner kick in the 77th minute to give the Norse their first postseason victory of the Division I era.
 
"This was one of those games where everyone did their job," said head coach John Basalyga. "There was no one person that was a game changer because everyone did what they needed to do to get the win."
 
The Norse came out of the gate with a lot of intensity, winning every lose ball and physically controlling the pace of the match. The offensive chances were hard to come by for both teams but the Norse did control a majority of the possession. The first shot for either team didn't come until the 18th minute when Diego Martinez took a long shot attempt at goal. Martinez hit the ball low, at the Stetson goal but Paul Ladwig was able to make the routine save for the Hatters.
 
NKU nearly opened up the scoring in the 41st minute from a corner kick. Ronald Moss sent in a low corner and Christian Johnson settled the ball at the top of the box, striking the ball into a Stetson defender. Campbell Morris collected the rebound and a Hatters' defender also blocked his shot attempt. The first half came to a close with the match still scoreless.
 
"We decided at halftime that we weren't going to change anything because we had Stetson on their heels," said Basalyga. "We knew what we wanted to do going into the game and we executed. The kids put in the effort and the effort paid off."
 
In the second half, Stetson came out turning up the pressure on the Norse. The Hatters grabbed some control of the match and kept the Norse backline of Dylan Carss, Christian Johnson, Ian O'Reilly and Yaw Addai on the heels. The defense stood strong through a barrage of attacks, limiting the Hatters to only two shots on goal all game.
 
Toby Frohlich was able to get his defenders in order on every set piece, punching balls out of the danger area and keeping pressure off the goal. The Norse struggled with set pieces throughout the season but Frohlich looked very comfortable with them during the whole match.
 
In the 77th minute, the fortunes of the game swung well in favor of the black and gold. Campbell Morris won a corner kick for the Norse and Cian McDonald rushed over to take it. McDonald crossed in a high ball, at the far post, finding an unmarked Ian O'Reilly. O'Reilly leaped up and smashed the ball with his head into the back of the net, giving the Norse the 1-0 lead.
 
"When you get into the last fifteen minutes of the game it usually means the next goal wins the game," said Basalyga. "We told the team to keep the game close and maybe we could steal a win."
 
Frohlich and the Norse defense were able to hang during the final stages of the match and the Norse won the match, 1-0. NKU will advance to the semi-finals of the A-Sun tournament to face No. 2 seed Florida Gulf Coast.
 
"This win teaches our guys that it's about surviving and advancing," said Basalyga. "When you get into tournaments, that's what it's about. You don't care how you win, just get it done. It's our first postseason in Division I and it's our first postseason win in Division I. We are taking strides every time we get out on the field. We are now getting big game experience in high pressure games which will help us moving forward."
 
The FGCU match is schedule for 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14. Live stats and live video links will be available on nkunorse.com and follow @NKUNorseMSOC on Facebook, Twitter an Instagram to see more content on the NKU men's soccer team throughout the rest of the tournament.