HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team travels north on Saturday to take on Horizon League foe Cleveland State. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Krenzler Field and will air live on ESPN3.



Northern Kentucky Norse (6-5-0, 2-1-0) at Cleveland State (4-7-0, 1-2-0)
Saturday, Oct. 1 -- 4 p.m.
Cleveland -- Krenzler Field
Live Stats | ESPN3

LAST TIME OUT: The Norse are coming off a 2-1 win over defending Horizon League champion Oakland at home on Wednesday. Oakland took a brief 1-0 lead, netting a goal in the 20th minute before Katelyn Newton struck for the equalizer on an assist from Macy Hamblin in the 32nd minute. Erin Sutton followed with the game-winner less than two minutes later as Hamblin recorded her second assist of the game. Shawna Zaken chipped in on the double-assist, picking up her first collegiate point. Brooke Schocker posted three saves in the win.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS: Cleveland State sits eighth in the Horizon League with a 1-2-0 record and 4-7-0 overall mark. Its only League victory came against Oakland last weekend, 3-2. The Vikings have been shut out by Valparaiso, 1-0, and Wright State, 2-0, in their last game. The team has scored 12 goals across 11 games for a 1.09 average while opponents are averaging 1.72 goals per game.

Kaila Sargema is tied with NKU's Jessica Frey for ninth in the League in goals with four. Sargema has a team-high eight points followed by Aliani Lorenzo, who has seven points on three goals and one assist. The team's 12 goals are split among seven different players. Goalkeeper Jamie Daniels is second in the League in saves with 53 at an average of 4.82 saves per game. The junior has a .746 save percentage and 1.65 goals-against average.

The Vikings were picked to finish sixth in the HL preseason poll after going 4-5-0 in the League last year for a sixth-place finish.

SERIES HISTORY: The all-time series between the Norse and Vikings is tied at 1-1. The first meeting came on Oct. 17, 2015 last season when the Vikings' Sargema scored the match equalizer with five minutes left in regulation then netted a golden goal with 21 seconds left in the final overtime period for the CSU victory.
The Norse avenged the regular-season loss with a 1-0 win over the Vikings at NKU on Nov. 2, 2015 in the Horizon League Quarterfinals.

NORSE IN LEAGUE PLAY: The Norse have scored six goals across their first three League games to out-score League foes 6-2 so far.
Five Norse have posted at least two points just three games into conference play. Hamblin has notched six points in League play via two goals and two assists, propelling her to a team-high total of 10 points this season. She is followed by fellow junior forward Jessica Frey, who has two goals and an assist in HL games despite playing just 94 minutes.

All of Brooke Schocker's 183:55 minutes in goal have come in League matches. She has held opponents to 0.98 goals per game and has an .800 save percentage with eight saves in three matches including one start.

RACKING UP THE MINUTES: The Norse have allowed just two goals in their last five games. A trio of veterans helps to anchor the defense, as senior captain Sami Rutowski is one of four players to start all 11 matches this season. She owns a team-high 958 minutes out of a possible 1,002 minutes. Fellow captain Katelyn Newton has 941 minutes as a midfielder while senior defender Chrissy Spears has 891 total minutes. A pair of young players in sophomore Taylor Spaulding (935 minutes) and freshman Hannah Fischer (879 minutes) are also staples on the back line, helping NKU hold its opponents to 0.91 goals per game.

UP NEXT: Following the match at Cleveland State, the Norse will take a week off before returning to Horizon League action. Northern Kentucky hosts Youngstown State on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 4:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the NKU men's soccer team at NKU Soccer Stadium.