HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team is slated for a pair of matches this weekend, beginning with its first Horizon League contest on Friday, Sept. 18 against Youngstown State at First National Bank Field at 7 p.m.

The Norse will then host nonconference opponent Toledo on Sunday at the NKU Soccer Complex in their first home game since Aug. 21. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and will air on the Horizon League Network on ESPN3.

Friday, Sept. 18 - Northern Kentucky (4-1-0) at Youngstown State (4-4-0)
Youngstown, Ohio -- First National Bank Field -- 7 p.m.
Live Stats: YSUsports.com | Twitter: @NKUNorseGameDay
 
Sunday, Sept. 20 - Northern Kentucky at Toledo (3-5-0)
Highland Heights, Ky. -- NKU Soccer Stadium -- 1 p.m.
Live Stats: NKUstats.com | Video: ESPN3 | Twitter: @NKUNorseGameDay
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU last competed on Sept. 11 when it traveled to Illinois and fell to the Illini, 1-0. Goalkeeper Brooke Schocker faced 27 shots and recorded seven saves. Illinois found the back of the net in the 37th minute for the game's only goal. NKU fought back with four second-half shots, including two shots on goal while looking for the equalizer.

ABOUT YOUNGSTOWN STATE: The Penguins (4-4-0) recovered from a four-game skid with a pair of wins last weekend against IPFW and Findlay to push Youngstown State to third in the Horizon League standings, while NKU sits in second. Sophomore Katie Hackos, this week's Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week, is tied with Alison Green with a team-high five points. Goalkeeper minutes have been split between freshman Elizabeth Balgoyen (416:22) and junior Katie Montgomery (310:16).

ABOUT TOLEDO: The Rockets are 3-5-0 overall and 1-5 on the road. Toledo earned a pair of victories last weekend after defeating Horizon League teams Oakland and Wright State at home. The Rocket offense is paced by sophomore Isabella Echeverri with seven points, a pair of goals and three assists. Senior Sam Tiongson has logged a team-high 726:02 minutes between the posts this season and posted a shutout against Wright State.

NORSE NOTES:

The Norse are set to open conference play with a winning record for the second consecutive season. Last year, as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, NKU opened conference action against USC Upstate sporting a 4-3-2 record.

NKU's 2015 roster has a strong history against Youngstown State, with four current players scoring a goal against YSU in the teams' only two meetings. During the 2012 season, the Norse defeated the Penguins, 2-1, on the road with now-senior Kelsey Laumann scoring a goal. Current seniors Kelsey Zwergel and Martha Staab each posted an assist in the victory. At home in 2013, Sami Rutowski, Katelyn Newton and Casey McMillan scored a goal for a 3-2 win. McMillan also added a pair of assists.

Sunday will be the first meeting between NKU and Toledo. The Norse have posted a 2-1 record against first-time opponents this season. Northern Kentucky has faced just two Mid-American Conference opponents in program history, Ball State and Miami (Ohio), for an overall record of 1-2 against the conference.

Goalkeepers Schocker and Kelly Neumann have combined to allow two goals in 450  total minutes, meanwhile the offense has scored a Horizon League-best 2.80 goals per game. Schocker boasts the best goals against average (0.44) and save percentage (.882) in the Horizon League. Strong performances on both sides of the ball have pushed NKU to out-score opponents 14-2 and out-shoot opponents 105-55. 

Schocker is coming off a solid outing against Illinois, where she recorded seven saves and faced 27 shots. The redshirt junior entered the contest against Illinois with 26 total shots throughout the first four games and nearly doubled her total in the outing, bringing it to 50 on the season. Similarly, Shocker distributed eight saves across the first four matches before posting seven against Illinois.

In addition to goals per game, the NKU offense leads the Horizon League in assists (18) and assists per game (3.60) and is ranked second in points (46). Lifting NKU to its League-best marks is sophomore Macy Hamblin. Hamblin leads the Horizon League in shots with 32 and assists with four. The forward is second overall in points with eight.

UP NEXT: The Norse continue Horizon League play against UIC at home on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at the NKU Soccer Stadium.