HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team will host Marshall on Wednesday evening for a nonconference match. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
Northern Kentucky Norse (4-1-2) vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (5-2-0)
Wednesday, Sept. 20 – 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 65-69-23 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: NKU recorded its fourth-consecutive shutout in a 0-0 draw against Cleveland State on Saturday. Jim Barkei faced 22 shots on the night, and he made seven saves. The Norse had good opportunities to score but couldn't quite find the back of the net. Late in the second half, Rikard Lindqvist got behind the CSU defense, but his shot from the right side went into the hands of the goalkeeper. In the first overtime period, Tom Suchecki forced the Vikings' goalkeeper to make a save on his free kick attempt.
 
SCOUTING MARSHALL:  Marshall is also off to a strong start in the 2017 season. The Thundering Herd are 5-2-0 on the year and have recently picked up wins against Eastern Illinois and South Carolina by scores of 3-0 and 2-1, respectively. Freshman Lewis Knight leads the team with seven goals and 15 points on the season. He was recently named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week. Dion Stergiotis has contributed four assists. In the net, Nate Himes has played five matches for the Thundering Herd. He is 4-1-0 on the year, sporting a 0.80 goals against average. Ben Martinez has started in to games for Marshall. He is 1-1 with a 0.50 goals against average.
 
NORSE IN THE 2017 SEASON:  NKU is 4-1-2 on the year, including a 3-0-2 mark in the past five matches. The Norse have recorded four-consecutive shutouts entering the match with Marshall. Rikard Lindqvist leads the team with four goals and nine points, and Tom Suchecki has added two goals and two assists. Jim Barkei has started every game at goalkeeper for the Norse this season. His four shutouts are tied for eighth in NCAA Division I.
 
HORIZON LEAGUE AWARD: Jim Barkei was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 18. The redshirt junior from Downers Grove, Ill., recorded his fourth-consecutive shutout this past weekend 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 the week, Barkei helped the Norse to a 1-0 win over Dayton. He faced 13 shots, making three saves. Barkei has a 4-1-2 overall record and 1-0-1 record in Horizon League play. He also has a 0.85 goals against average.
 
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 will host IUPUI for a Horizon League match on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.