HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The No. 3 seeded Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team plays host to No. 6 seed Cleveland State on Monday, Nov. 2 for the first round of the Horizon League Championship. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at NKU Soccer Stadium and will air on ESPN3.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids. All students of Horizon League member institutions are admitted free.

Tournament information including the full bracket and schedule can be found at the Horizon League women's soccer Championship Central.

Horizon League Championship Quarterfinals
No. 6 Cleveland State (8-9-1, 4-5 Horizon) at No. 3 Northern Kentucky (10-5-1, 6-2-1 Horizon)
Monday, Nov. 2 -- 7 p.m.
Highland Heights, Ky. – NKU Soccer Stadium
Live Stats: NKUstats.com | Broadcast: ESPN3 | Twitter: @NKUNorseGameDay
Series history: Cleveland State leads, 1-0
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse concluded the regular season on Friday, Oct. 30 at home with a 2-1 victory over Green Bay. Two second-half goals prompted the Norse to victory, beginning with a marker from Jessica Frey in the 54th minute. Frey then teamed up with Macy Hamblin for a double assist to set up senior Maria Silbersack for the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute.

ABOUT CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings finished the regular season in sixth place in the Horizon League after a 4-5 League campaign. Cleveland State is coming off a 1-0 loss to Valparaiso as part of a three-game skid. The Vikings' last victory came on Oct. 17 against Northern Kentucky. Junior Kaila Sargema leads the Cleveland State offense with 14 points (six goals, two assists). Sargema is followed by senior Vicki Havas with 10 points (five goals). Junior Jamie Daniels anchors the CSU defense, clocking a total of 1626:48 minutes in goal with four shutouts. Daniels owns a 1.27 goals against average and .803 save percentage while leading the League in saves with 94.

NORSE NOTES:

The Norse are hosting a Division I postseason match for the first time in program history while also advancing to their second consecutive conference tournament. NKU saw success in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship last season when it defeated North Florida, 2-0, to advance to the semifinal round where the Norse fell to eventual champion Florida Gulf Coast, 3-1. The Norse enter the match sporting a 1-1 record in Division I postseason tournaments.

Northern Kentucky's 10 victories is the most the Norse have earned in a Division I season. The 2015 campaign began with a four-game win streak where the squad shut out three-straight opponents. NKU's first loss of the season came at Illinois before the Norse posted a five-game Horizon League win streak that came to a halt with a loss against Cleveland State. NKU's lone draw of the season was against regular-season Horizon League champion Milwaukee on the road.

In the first meeting between NKU and Cleveland State earlier this season, the Norse fell 2-1 in double overtime. A penalty kick from Hamblin gave NKU a 1-0 edge that lasted until the final five minutes of regulation. CSU's Sargema then netted an 85th minute goal to send the match into overtime. A golden goal from Sargema with 21 seconds left in the second overtime period handed the Vikings a 2-1 win despite a 36-shot effort from NKU in the match.

After strong performances in NKU's last match, the sophomore duo of Hamblin and Frey tied NKU's Division I point record with a League-high 20 on the season. Hamblin set the Division I benchmark last year with eight goals and four assists. This season, Hamblin's points are split among six goals and a team-high eight assists while Frey has a team-high seven goals and six assists. Hamblin ranks first in the lead in assists while Frey ranks second in goals. The pair leads the League in shot attempts with a combined 138 shots.

After earning the win against Green Bay, junior goalkeeper Brooke Schocker is now eighth in program history in single season wins with 10. Schocker is tied with Sam Westerling who posted 10 wins in 2003. Meanwhile, Schocker's 125 career saves ranks third all-time as she has moved into the all-time top-10 in single season saves for the second-straight year with 55. This season, the junior ranks in the top five in the Horizon League in goals against average (0.83), save percentage (.809) and shutouts (four).

The Norse enter Horizon League Tournament play as the League leader in six offensive categories. NKU has fired a League-high 277 shots while also leading in points (99), goals (32), goals per game (2.00), assists (34) and assists per game (2.42). NKU's 99 points are split among 18 different players while NKU's League-leading 32 goals scored have helped the Norse to out-score opponents 32-14.

UP NEXT: With a win, the Norse will advance to the semifinal round on Thursday, Nov. 5 hosted by regular-season champion Milwaukee. NKU would take on the Panthers (11-3-3, 8-0-1 Horizon) at 8 p.m. ET at Engelmann Stadium. An NKU loss would conclude the 2015 campaign.

More information regarding the Horizon League Championship can be found on the Horizon League women's soccer Championship Central page.