HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky women's soccer team opens Horizon League play on Friday when it travels to Green Bay for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff. The Norse then turn around to host nonconference foe Robert Morris at NKU Soccer Stadium on Sunday in a 1 p.m. match set to air on ESPN3.


Northern Kentucky Norse (3-4-0, 0-0-0 Horizon League) at Green Bay Phoenix (0-6-1, 0-0-0 Horizon League)
Friday, Sept. 16 - 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
Green Bay, Wis. - Aldo Santaga Stadium
Live Stats
 
Northern Kentucky Norse vs. Robert Morris Colonials (1-6-0)
Sunday, Sept. 18 - 1 p.m. ET
Highland Heights, Ky. - NKU Soccer Stadium
Live Stats| ESPN3
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse are coming off a 1-0 double-overtime victory over Vanderbilt last weekend. Jessica Frey struck for a 103rd-minute golden goal to break a scoreless tie and hand NKU its third shutout in the last four games. Emily Lohmann logged all 102:24 minutes in goal, notching four saves and 15 shots faced.

SCOUTING GREEN BAY: The Phoenix enter the weekend with a 0-6-1 record and sit 10th in the Horizon League. The offense has managed one goal on the season. Maggie Fuller scored Green Bay's lone goal on an assist from Leah Nitardy on Aug. 21 against Akron. Alex Zeller has launched a team-high 10 shots. Opponents are averaging 1.86 goals per game against Green Bay. Kelly Kent has logged a team-high 351:42 minutes in goal and is the League leader in saves per game with seven. Kent has 28 saves across her four games played and is tied with NKU's Lohmann for third in the HL with an .800 save percentage.

SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS: The Colonials take on Howard on Thursday evening before traveling to Highland Heights on Sunday. RMU is 1-6 overall after earning its first victory of the season last weekend against Ohio in overtime. The offense averages 0.57 goals per game while the Colonial defense has allowed 2.57 goals per game. The squad's four goals this season are distributed among four different players. Four Colonials have also been credited one assist. Jane Schleicher leads RMU with three points on one goal and one assist while Erin Ritzer has a team-high 19 shots, seven on goal.

SERIES HISTORIES: NKU is 1-0 all-time against Green Bay with the first meeting falling on Oct. 30 of last season at NKU Soccer Complex. NKU defeated the Phoenix, 2-1. Frey netted one of NKU's two goals and picked up an assist while Macy Hamblin also posted an assist.

On Sunday against Robert Morris, the Norse look to avenge a 2-1 loss from Sept. 28 of last season. NKU fell to RMU on the road with Aubrey Muench scoring NKU's only goal in the contest. The Colonials lead the all-time series against NKU, 2-1.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lohmann, a sophomore goalkeeper, earned Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday after leading NKU to a 1-0 shutout over Vanderbilt. The shutout was her third in the last four games. Lohmann is fifth in the Horizon League in saves with 32, averaging 4.57 per game. Her trio of shutouts is tied for a League best while the sophomore also sits third in the League in save percentage at .800. Lohmann is the only Norse goalkeeper to see action so far this season, totaling 642:24 minutes in goal after logging 33:46 minutes throughout her rookie campaign last year.

OFFENSIVE SURGE: NKU has posted double-figure shots in each of the last four games en route to picking up a trio of shutout victories in that span. The Norse have out-shot their last four opponents, 52-37, including 19-11 in shots on goal. The offense is averaging 11.00 shots per game combined with a strong .416 shot on goal percentage.

Hamblin has helped fuel the offense, firing five shots in each of her last three games, a season high for any Norse player. The junior has posted 17 shots across four games played for a League-leading 4.25 shots per game average. Frey joins her in the League rankings, sitting in fourth in shot attempts with 19 at an average of 2.71 per game.

UP NEXT: Sunday's match against Robert Morris opens a three-match homestand for the Norse. They host Milwaukee for the Horizon League home opener on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. then welcome defending League champion Oakland on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be played as part of a doubleheader with the NKU's men's team.