HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – With Horizon League Championship seeding implications on the line, the Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team plays host to Valparaiso on Friday, Oct. 28 in the regular-season finale at NKU Soccer Stadium. Prior to the match, NKU's eight seniors will be honored as part of Senior Night.


Northern Kentucky Norse (10-5-1, 6-1-1 Horizon) vs. Valparaiso Crusaders (8-9-0, 4-4-0 Horizon)
Friday, Oct. 28 – 7 p.m.
Highland Heights, Ky. – NKU Soccer Stadium
Live stats | ESPN3

LAST TIME OUT: Northern Kentucky is coming off a 3-1 win at Wright State on Tuesday. With the win, NKU jumped to second place in the Horizon League standings. NKU scored a trio of goals, including two within the first 18 minutes, and never looked back. Macy Hamblin scored twice while Jessica Frey also found the back of the net. Rachel Conaway dished out a pair of assists while Samantha Duwel posted the assist on Frey's tally.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS: Valparaiso is coming off a 1-0 loss to Oakland and sits in a three-way tie for fifth place in the League. The Crusaders are fighting for a spot in the HL Championship as the top six teams advance.

The Valpo offense is fourth in the League in goals with 21, averaging 1.24 per game, while its 1.15 goals-against average is also ranked fourth. Thirteen of the squad's 21 goals have come in the second half. The Crusader offense is strong in overtime periods, racking up four golden goals this season. April Cronin is third in the League in shots (47) and points (19), and is in a four-way tie along with NKU's Macy Hamblin for the League lead in goals with eight. Cory Griffith follows with 12 points while Grace Rogers is the team's assist leader with four.

Tess Barrett has logged a team-high 1,127 minutes in goal and sports a 1.04 goals-against average and .768 save percentage with three shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY: The Norse and Crusaders have met just once in program history, with NKU claiming a 3-2 double-overtime victory at Valpo on Oct. 9 last season. Graduated senior Kelsey Laumann netted the golden goal on an assist from Macy Hamblin. Current junior Jessica Frey also had a goal in the match to tie the game in the 60th minute.

CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING IMPLICATIONS: Northern Kentucky has secured no worse than the No. 3 seed for the upcoming Horizon League Championship (Oct. 31- Nov. 5). NKU could still earn the No. 1 seed, regular-season title and tournament hosting rights if the Norse defeat Valpo and League-leading Milwaukee falls to eighth-place Cleveland State on Friday.

A Milwaukee win or tie would hand the League-leading Panthers their second-straight regular-season title. Detroit Mercy currently sits in third place behind the Norse. The only way the Norse could fall to the No. 3 seed is if they lose or tie Valpo and Detroit Mercy wins its match against fifth-place UIC. More information on the tournament can be found at the Championship Central page on HorizonLeague.org. 

SENIOR NIGHT: NKU will recognize eight seniors prior to the match in a Senior Night ceremony. Goalkeepers Brooke Schocker and Kelly Neumann will be honored in addition to Sam Davis, Aubrey Muench, Katelyn Newton, Sami Rutowski, Chrissy Spears and Martha Staab.

RECORD BOOK: Hamblin, a junior forward, has posted an NKU Division-I era program record in single-season points for three-straight seasons. As a freshman, Hamblin set a DI program record with 20 points on eight goals and four assists. Last year, she posted 21 points while earning Horizon League Player of the Year honors. This season, she has bested that mark with 22 points on eight goals and six assists after appearing in just 13 of NKU's 16 matches thus far. Hamblin leads the League in points, points per game (1.69), goals, goals per game (0.62), shots (56) and shots per game (4.31). As a junior, Hamblin has amassed 63 career points and needs 76 to break into the all-time top-10. She currently sits sixth all-time in career points per game with 1.34.

Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Lohmann has also had a breakout season in her first campaign as a regular starter. Lohmann ranks in the top-three in the Horizon League in shutouts (four), save percentage (.806) and goals-against average (0.94). She has 50 saves this season and needs just three more to tie Rachel Wood (2010) for 10th all-time in single-season saves with 53. Five more saves would put her in a tie for ninth, while 10 more would boost her to eighth, behind current senior Brooke Schocker who notched 64 saves last season, the seventh-most all-time. With eight wins and four shutouts this season, Lohmann needs just one more victory, and one more shutout to break into the single-season all-time top-10 in those categories as well.

UP NEXT: Should the Norse clinch the No. 3 seed for the tournament, they will host a quarterfinal match at NKU Soccer Stadium on Monday, Oct. 31 against the No. 6 seed at 7 p.m. A victory over Valpo ensures the Norse at least the No. 2 seed, granting them a first-round bye to the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 3 at the site of the No. 1 seed. More information on the tournament can be found at the Championship Central page on HorizonLeague.org.