HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team will be on the road this Saturday at Milwaukee for a Horizon League match against the Panthers. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
Northern Kentucky Norse (6-1-3, 2-0-1) vs. Milwaukee Panthers (4-4-2, 0-3-0)
Saturday, Sept. 30 – 8 p.m. ET
Milwaukee, Wis. – Engelmann 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 67-69-24 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 picked up a 2-0 victory over Memphis on Monday evening. Tom Suchecki and Rizwaan Dharsey provided the goals for the Norse, and the defense recorded its sixth shutout of the season. TJ Harris played a ball from the right wing to the top of the box in the 20^th minute, which found Suchecki. He was able to slip his shot to the left of the Memphis goalkeeper to give the Norse an early advantage. In the 48^th minute, Dharsey doubled the lead for the Norse. Brett Wilson played a ball over the top of the Memphis defense, and Dharsey was able to settle it and fire his shot to the left lower corner to give NKU the 2-0 win.
 
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE: The Panthers are 4-4-2 overall and 0-3-0 in the Horizon League. In its most recent outing, Milwaukee picked up a 2-0 win over Marquette in the Milwaukee Cup. The Panthers are averaging 1.40 goals per match, while allowing them at a 1.20 mark. Vuk Latinovich and Nick Moon lead the team offensively. Latinovich and Moon each have two goals and three assists for seven points. Freddy Lorenzen has seen most of the action for the Panthers in the net. He has started 10 contests, making 27 saves for a 0.692 save percentage. Lorenzen has a 1.18 goals against average this season.
 
NORSE IN THE 2017 SEASON: The Norse are 6-1-3 on the year and 2-0-1 in League play. The team has a 6-1-1 record at home and 0-0-2 mark on the road. NKU is averaging 1.50 goals per match, while allowing 0.90 goals per contest. The Norse are unbeaten in the past eight outings, sporting a 5-0-3 record. In those eight matches, NKU has produced six shutouts. Tom Suchecki and Rikard Lindqvist lead the team offensively, as each has scored four goals. Suchecki is tied for sixth in NCAA Division I with three game-winning goals. Overall, nine different players have recorded a goal for the Norse this season. Jim Barkei has seen most of the action in goal for the Norse. He has allowed just eight goals on the season for a 0.78 goals against average. Barkei has made 31 saves on the year for a 0.795 save percentage. He is also tied for fifth in NCAA Division I with six shutouts.
 
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 a 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 host Oakland on Saturday, Oct. 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at NKU Soccer Stadium.