Game NotesHIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team will hit the road this weekend to take on IUPUI in Indianapolis. The Norse and Jaguars met last season in Highland Heights and played out to a scoreless draw.
Though the Norse only have one match this week, the IUPUI match marks the beginning of a four-game stretch over an eight-day period. After facing the Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 21, NKU returns home to play Wright State on Sept. 23, travels to Western Michigan on Sept. 26 and finishes the four-game stretch at home on Sept. 28. against Western Illinois.
"We have worked hard this week in practice to try to get ourselves mentality prepared for this four game stretch," said head coach
John Basalyga. "Mentally and physically we should be ready to compete one game at a time. We don't look at games down the road just the next one right in front of us and we deal with it."
NKU and IUPUI have faced each other in several spring scrimmages, but they have only met four times during the regular season. The Norse have a 2-1-1 lead in the series but have not defeated the Jaguars since 1998. That was before Basalyga was in charge of the Norse as he is 0-1-1 against IUPUI throughout his career.
"We've played IUPUI over the years because you know you are going to get a fair game," said Basalyga. "In non-conference games you want to play teams that will match well competitively. Isang Jacob (IUPUI's head coach) is a class act and we really enjoy playing him."
The Norse have scored in each of their five games this year and have managed to record one shutout this season; against Detroit Mercy. It will be crucial for the Black and Gold to get the offense in full swing in Indianapolis, as they have not scored on IUPUI the last two years they have faced the Jaguars. The Norse fell 0-1 in Indianapolis in 2012 and the 2013 match at home resulted in a scoreless draw.
"We are trying to constantly look for the right combinations on both sides of the ball," said Basalyga. "We have been a defensive minded team and I've been that way ever since I started coaching. If you have good defensive shape, you know where the other team is going to be. You can predict how other teams react when you get the ball. Defense is really the starting point to our offense."
The contest between the Norse and Jaguars is set to kickoff at 4 p.m. at Michael A. Carroll Stadium. Live stats and video for the match will be available on nkunorse.com and updates will also be sent out via Twitter under @NKUNorseGameDay. While on social media, be sure to follow NKUNorseMSOC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. ?
