HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team will host the Dayton Flyers on Wednesday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at NKU Soccer Stadium, and live stats will be available for the contest.

Northern Kentucky Norse (3-1-1) vs. Dayton Flyers (2-2-2)
Wednesday, Sept. 13 – 7 p.m.
Highland Heights, Ky. – NKU Soccer 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 64-69-22 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 recorded their second-consecutive shutout in a 1-0 win over Belmont to open Horizon League play.  NKU goalkeeper Jim Barkei was pressed into action early in the match, as he had to make three saves within the first 10 minutes of the contest. The Norse scored the only goal of the match in the ninth minute. Rikard Lindqvist was pulled down in the box, which resulted in a penalty kick. Tom Suchecki converted from the spot to give the Norse the 1-0 advantage.
 
SCOUTING DAYTON: The Flyers are 2-2-2 this season. Dayton most recently played in its own tournament this past weekend, picking up a 2-1 win over Central Arkansas and falling to Liberty 1-0. The Flyers and Norse have had two common opponents this season, as each team has played Fort Wayne and Belmont. Dayton fell to Fort Wayne on Aug. 27 by a score of 2-1 and earned a 0-0 draw at Belmont on Sept. 3.
 
Dayton is averaging 1.33 goals per match, while holding opponents to an average of 1.00 goals per match. Freshman Thor Helgason leads the team with three goals and six points. Federico Barrios has seen every minute of action in goal for the Flyers. He has made 26 saves this season for a 0.813 save percentage and has a 0.93 goals against average.
 
NORSE IN THE 2017 SEASON: NKU is 3-1-1 on the year. The team has wins over Oakland City, Fort Wayne, and Belmont. The Norse have also earned a draw at Eastern Illinois and suffered a loss to UC Irvine. Rikard Lindqvist leads the team with four goals and nine points. He is tied for 15^th in NCAA Division I in goals scored and leads the Horizon League in total points. Tom Suchecki is second on the team in goals (2) and points (5). In the net, Jim Barkei has started all five matches for the Norse. He is 3-1-1 on the year with a 1.24 goals against average. Barkei and the NKU defense have recorded two-straight shutouts. As a team, the Norse rank fifth in the nation in corner kicks per game.
 
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 all began 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.
 
TOP RETURNERS: Midfielder Campbell Morris is back for his senior campaign. Last season, he led the Norse in goals and points. Senior Dylan Carss and junior Calvin Murphy will once again provide leadership to the defense. Carss and Murphy played 1,698 and 1,666 minutes, respectively, in 2016 to lead the team.
 
UP NEXT: NKU will travel to Cleveland State on Saturday, Sept. 16 for a Horizon League contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.