Game NotesHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team is heading to Jacksonville to wrap up the regular season with a match against North Florida on Saturday, Nov. 8.
NKU currently sits 5-8-4 overall and 1-3-1 in the Atlantic Sun. The Norse have won three of their last four games, shutting their opponents out in each victory, and are currently on a two-game winning streak. The Norse defense and goalkeeper
Toby Frohlich have found their rhythm as of late. Frohlich has a goals against average of 0.92 and the defense, anchored by
Ian O'Reilly and
Christian Johnson, has only allowed the opposition to take ten shots a game in the past six fixtures.
The Norse have struggled away from the NKU Soccer Stadium this year and are currently 1-5-1 when playing away from their home ground. NKU has dropped five-straight road games, scoring only four times on the road this season. Their form at home has improved, winning three straight, but NKU will need to get the results on the road if they aim to qualify for the postseason.
NKU has a 1-0-1 all-time record against North Florida. In 2012, the Norse defeated the Ospreys 2-1 in Jacksonville.
Ian O'Reilly headed in a goal from a corner in the 23rd minute and
Craig Heard netted the game winner in the 86th minute. In the 2013 fixture, a second-half goal from
Yaw Addai helped force the 1-1 draw in Highland Heights. North Florida is currently 5-6-1 overall this year and they are coming off a 2-1 loss to former A-Sun side Mercer.
With the NKU's 1-0 overtime win over Stetson last weekend, the Norse have found themselves back in the postseason picture. NKU sits sixth in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings, with a one-point lead over Jacksonville. The Dolphins do have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Norse since they defeated NKU, 2-0, earlier this season. There are several playoff scenarios in play in the final weekend of the season.
Playoff Scenarios 1. Stetson (4-2, 12pts): The Hatters have no A-Sun fixtures remaining on their schedule. They are currently set to host the conference tournament unless Lipscomb or FGCU win.
2. Lipscomb (3-1-1, 10pts): The Bisons play at Jacksonville and with a victory they will be the regular season A-Sun champions, hosting the conference tournament. A draw or loss could be damaging depending on what FGCU does. Lipscomb has the tiebreaker over FGCU as the defeated the Eagles, 2-1.
3. FGCU (3-1-1, 10pts): The Eagles host USC Upstate and can secure a first-round bye with a win. A loss will result in a No. 3 seed and a draw could as well, depending on the Lipscomb result.
4. North Florida (2-2-1, 7pts): The Ospreys host NKU and cannot achieve a high enough seed to host or earn a first-round bye. Their result against NKU will only affect which seed they get in the conference tournament.
5. USC Upstate (2-3, 6pts): The Spartans travel to FGCU and they have already secured a spot in the conference tournament.
6.
NKU (1-3-1, 4pts): The Norse travel to North Florida this weekend and a win will secure their spot in the conference tournament. A draw could see them earn the No. 6 seed but only if Jacksonville loses and a loss could prove fatal for the Norse if Jacksonville is able to earn a point against Lipscomb.
7. Jacksonville (1-4, 3pts): The Dolphins host Lipscomb this weekend and a loss will eliminate them from the postseason. If Jacksonville ties Lipscomb and NKU loses, the Dolphins will sneak into the tournament as the No. 6 seed. Jacksonville will need to win to move past the Norse if NKU ties North Florida.
A link to live stats and a live video broadcast will be available on nkunorse.com. For a behind the scenes look at the NKU men's soccer team during the road trip and heading into the postseason, follow @NKUNorseMSOC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
