HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team will travel to Cleveland State on Saturday for the team's first Horizon League road trip of 2017. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
Northern Kentucky Norse (4-1-1, 1-0-0) at Cleveland State Vikings (2-4-0, 1-0-0)
Saturday, Sept. 16 – 7 p.m.
Cleveland, Ohio – Krenzler Field
 
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 65-69-22 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 earned their third consecutive shutout in a 1-0 win over Dayton. Harvey Moyes scored the lone goal of the match in the 17^th minute. Tom Suchecki's initial shot from the right side was saved by the Dayton goalkeeper, and the ball deflected out to Moyes, who tapped it in from close range to give NKU the advantage.

SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings are 2-4-0 overall and 1-0-0 in the Horizon League. Cleveland State defeated IUPUI by a score of 2-1 on Sept. 9 in the team's opening Horizon League match and most recently fell to Xavier, 2-1. The Vikings are averaging 1.17 goals per match, while allowing 1.67 goals per match.
 
Cleveland State has played some tough competition in 2017, as the team was defeated by Bowling Green, Michigan and Michigan State earlier this season. Those three programs were ranked No. 19, No. 18 and No. 6, respectively, in the latest NCAA United Soccer Coaches Poll.
 
Six different players have scored a goal for Cleveland State. Tommy Bielanski and Lawrence Karpeh each have a goal and an assist to lead the team with three points. At goalkeeper, Sebastian Kalk has played every minute between the posts for the Vikings. He has made 17 saves on the year for a 0.630 save percentage.
 
NORSE IN THE 2017 SEASON: The Norse have scored an average of 1.33 goals per match, while allowing goals at a 1.17 mark. Rikard Lindqvist leads the team in goals (4) and points (9). He is tied for 22^nd in NCAA Division I in goals scored this season. Tom Suchecki has added two goals and two assists on the year.
 
In the net, Jim Barkei has started every match in goal for the Norse. He has recorded three straight shutouts and sports a 1.02 goals against average this season. His three shutouts are tied for first in the Horizon League and 12^th in NCAA Division I. Barkei has also made 14 saves on the year for a 0.700 save percentage. The Norse are 3-0-1 in their past four matches, which includes a 1-0 win in Horizon League play over Belmont.
 
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.
 
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: The Norse return home on Wednesday, Sept. 20 to face Marshall. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at NKU Soccer Stadium, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.