HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team welcomes Memphis to NKU Soccer Stadium on Monday evening for a nonconference match. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
Northern Kentucky Norse (5-1-3) vs. Memphis Tigers (2-3-2)
Monday, Sept. 25 – 6 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 66-69-24 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 a 3-0 win over IUPUI on Saturday night. Tom Suchecki put the Norse on the board in the 23^rd minute. Wlademir Babaew played a ball up to Suchecki, and he was able to slip his shot past the IUPUI goalkeeper with defenders closing in on him. Calvin Murphy extended the lead in the 62^nd minute. Abdul Kooistra played a corner kick into the center of the box, and Murphy headed the ball to the left corner to give the Norse a 2-0 lead. Felix Komolong scored the final goal in the 88^th minute in his first collegiate match. A ball played up the field by goalkeeper Jim Barkei was secured by Komolong. He took a few touches and fired a shot from 25 yards out to the right side of the net to give the Norse the 3-0 advantage. Barkei and his defense recorded their fifth shutout of the season in the match.
 
SCOUTING MEMPHIS: The Tigers enter the contest at 2-3-2 overall, and the team is currently on a two-match win streak. In its last two outings, Memphis has picked up wins against Cincinnati on Sept. 23 and Missouri State on Sept. 10. The Tigers are averaging 0.86 goals per match, while giving up 1.29 goals per match. Six different players have scored a goal for the Memphis. David Zalzman, Luke Biasi and Burke Fahling each have three points to lead the Tiger offense. Jake Leeker has played all seven matches in the net for Memphis. He has allowed nine goals for a 1.21 goals against average. He has also made 28 saves for a 0.757 save percentage.
 
NORSE IN THE 2017 SEASON: The Norse are 5-1-3 overall and 4-0-3 in the past seven matches. NKU has recorded five shutouts in those seven outings. The Norse are averaging 1.44 goals against, while allowing 1.00 goals per match. In the past seven contests, the team has given up just three goals. Rikard Lindqvist leads NKU in goals (4) and points (8). Tom Suchecki has also been a major contributor on offense, as he has three goals and two assists for eight points. Jim Barkei has played every match in the net for the Norse. He sports a 5-1-3 record with a 0.86 goals against average. He has made 28 saves on the year for a 0.778 save percentage.
 
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 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.
 
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 travel to Milwaukee on Saturday, Sept. 30 for a Horizon League match.