HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky women's soccer team will play its first Horizon League road match on Saturday against Youngstown State. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

Northern Kentucky Norse (4-4-0, 1-0-0) at Youngstown State Penguins (4-5-1, 0-1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 23 – 3 p.m.
Youngstown, Ohio – Farmers National Bank Field
 
LAST TIME OUT:  The Norse won their opening Horizon League match against UIC by a score of 2-0. Macy Hamblin scored the first goal of the contest in the 49^th minute. Ally Perkins crossed the ball from the left side to Hamblin, and she fired a shot into the left upper corner to give the Norse a 1-0 advantage. In the 58^th minute, Samantha Duwel scored her first goal of the season by beating the UIC goalkeeper near post to give the Norse the 2-0 win.

SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN STATE: Youngstown State is 4-5-1 on the year and 0-1-0 in Horizon League play. The Penguins started the season with a 4-0 record but have since gone just 0-5-1. YSU recently tied Duquesne 1-1. Kyler Lum is the top offensive player of the Penguins. She has five goals and one assists for 11 points. Kylee Moffett has seen most of the action in the net for YSU. She is 4-4-1 with a 0.786 save percentage. Moffett also has a 1.28 goals against average and has made 44 saves on the year.

TAKING A LOOK AT THE STATS: The Norse are 4-4-0 this season and 1-0-0 in the League. As a team, NKU is averaging 1.50 goals and 11.9 shots per match. Jessica Frey leads the team with six goals and 12 points. Macy Hamblin has added three goals during the campaign, and Ally Perkins has one goal and four assists. In the net, Emily Lohmann has seen most of the action for the Norse. She has a 4-3-0 record with a 0.795 save percentage. She also recorded her first shutout of the year against UIC.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD: Jessica Frey was selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
 
As a nursing major, Frey maintains a 3.746 GPA. Upon graduation in the spring, Frey plans to work in a critical care unit at a children's hospital. She also hopes to advance in her field by becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Because of her excellence in the classroom, she has been named to the 2015 and 2016 Horizon League All-Academic Teams, as well as the 2015 COSIDA Academic All-District.
 
Frey is also very active in the community. She has volunteered at the Liberty Matrix Nursing Home and the St. Lawrence Catholic Church after school program. She has also participated in the Price Hill Summer Clean-Up, Down Syndrome Buddy Walk, and the "Pause for Parents, Play for Kids" program through the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
 
HORIZON LEAGUE: The Horizon League announced its women's soccer preseason poll for the 2017 campaign. NKU tied for first place in the poll with Milwaukee, as each team received 86 points and five first-place votes.
 
Detroit Mercy, Oakland, Wright State, UIC, IUPUI, Youngstown State, Cleveland State, and Green Bay rounded out the rest of the Horizon League preseason poll.
 
HEAD COACH BOB SHEEHAN: Sheehan is in his 21^st season as the head coach of the program. He is the only coach in the team's history and sports a 301-98-26 overall record. In Division I play, his teams are 49-45-8. Coach Sheehan picked up his 300^th win in a 2-1 overtime victory against Appalachian State on Aug. 29.
 
Sheehan ranks in the top 40 all-time in winning percentage for women's soccer coaches in NCAA history across all divisions. He is also in the top 60 all-time in total victories for women's soccer coaches across all NCAA divisions. 
 
A SUCCESSFUL YEAR: NKU finished the 2016 campaign with a 13-7-1 overall record and a 6-2-1 mark in Horizon League play. The Norse captured the Horizon League Tournament crown and advanced to play in the Division I NCAA Tournament last season for the first time in program history. NKU fell to No. 1 West Virginia in the NCAA Tournament by a score of 3-0.
 
Macy Hamblin earned Horizon League Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors for the second season in a row. Jessica Frey joined Hamblin on the first team, Katelyn Newton received Second Team All-Horizon League honors, and Ally Perkins was named to the All-Freshman Team. Hamblin, Frey and Perkins all return to the team this season.
                                                   
UP NEXT: The Norse will host Wright State on Wednesday, Sept. 27. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.