HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. –  The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team will close out the nonconference portion of its schedule on Tuesday, when the Norse travel to Evansville. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
Northern Kentucky Norse (7-4-4) at Evansville Purple Aces (8-8-1)
Tuesday, Oct. 31 – 8 p.m. ET
Evansville, Ind. – Arad McCutchan Stadium
 
HEAD COACH STU RIDDLE: Stu Riddle is in his first season at the helm of the NKU men's soccer program. He was most recently the head coach at the University at Buffalo, where he spent four seasons. Last year as head coach of the Bulls, Riddle led the team to a 12-4-3 overall record. For his career, Riddle sports a 68-72-25 overall record as a head coach. In the past seven seasons, Riddle guided his teams to the Mid-American Conference Championship match four times (2010, 2011 at Western Michigan and 2015, 2016 at Buffalo).
 
LAST TIME OUT:  The Norse went on the road Saturday and earned three points in a 1-0 win over Detroit Mercy. Brett Wilson scored the game-winner in the 24^th minute, and Jim Barkei and the defense recorded their eighth shutout of the season.
 
SCOUTING EVANSVILLE: The Purple Aces enter the contest at 8-8-1 overall. Evansville is averaging 1.76 goals per match, while allowing them at an average of 1.46. The team most recently fell to Drake on Saturday by a score of 1-0. Ian McGrath leads the offensive attack for Evansville, as he has 10 goals and five assists on the season. Goalkeeping duties have been split between Matthew Keller and Frederick Reimer. Keller has allowed five goals in eight matches for a 0.69 goals against average. Reimer has given up 17 goals in 10 matches for a 1.85 goals against average.
 
 
NORSE IN THE 2017 SEASON: The Norse are 7-4-4 on the year. The team is scoring 1.13 goals per contest and allowing them at an average of 0.93. Tom Suchecki and Rikard Lindqvist lead the offense, as each player has four goals and two assists on the year. Jim Barkei has had an outstanding season in the net for NKU. He has a 0.84 goals against average and a 0.803 save percentage. Barkei has also recorded eight shutouts this season, which ranks first in the Horizon League and ninth in NCAA Division I.
 
TAKING A LOOK AT THE HORIZON LEAGUE STANDINGS: NKU's win over Detroit Mercy on Saturday helped the Norse move up the Horizon League standings. NKU is currently in sixth place, which is the final spot to qualify for the Horizon League Tournament. A win over Green Bay on Friday evening would allow the Norse to clinch a berth in the tournament.

1. Green Bay - 6-1-1 (19)
2. UIC - 5-2-1 (16)
3. Milwaukee - 5-3 (15)
4. Wright State - 5-3 (15)
5. Cleveland State - 4-2-2 (14)
6. Northern Kentucky - 3-3-2 (11)
7. Detroit Mercy - 3-4-1 (10)
8. Oakland - 3-4-1 (10)
9. Belmont - 2-6 (6)
10. IUPUI - 0-8 (0)

 
HORIZON LEAGUE AWARDS: Jim Barkei was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 18. The redshirt junior from Downers Grove, Ill., recorded a shutout in a 0-0 draw against Cleveland State. In the match against the Vikings, he faced 22 shots and made seven saves to prevent CSU from getting a goal. Earlier in that week, Barkei helped the Norse to a 1-0 win over Dayton. He faced 13 shots, making three saves.
 
Barkei earned his second Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week honor on Oct. 16. He made a season-high 10 saves in the match against UIC to preserve a 0-0 draw. The shutout was his seventh of the season, which is the most in the program's Division I era.
 
FRESH FACES: NKU signed 13 student-athletes to its 2017 class. Jim Barkei, Victor Bjurhall, Felix Komolong, Alex Greive, Brett Wilson, Tom Suchecki, Rikard Lindqvist, Edo Durante, Abdul Kooistra, Jake Minkovitz, Joe Paasewe, Harvey Moyes and Isaiah Schatz are all in their first seasons with the Norse.
 
Barkei, Koositra, Lindqvist, Suchecki and Wilson are transfers who have played at the Division I level. Komolong, a freshman, is the brother of NKU soccer alum Alvin Komolong. Schatz is also a freshman, and he earned a selection to the U.S. Youth Futsal Team that competed in Costa Rica in late July.
 
UP NEXT: The Norse conclude the 2017 regular season against Green Bay on Friday, Nov. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN3. NKU will recognize its seniors before the match.