HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team picked up a convincing 3-0 win over Eastern Illinois on Tuesday evening. NKU moves to 8-3 on the season, while EIU falls to 2-6-3.  
 
"I think it was a complete performance and a very deserved result," said NKU head coach Stu Riddle. "If we can manage to show some consistency down the stretch, we have proven we can play at an extremely high level. It was excellent to get everyone on the field tonight in what was a great team win."
 
NKU SCORING SUMMARY

• Calvin Murphy gave the Norse a 1-0 lead in the 15^th minute. A ball played into the box was headed toward goal by Felix Komolong and Stian Jørgensen. Murphy secured the ball after the header by Jorgensen and tapped the ball in from close range to put the Norse ahead.
• Murphy added his second goal of the contest in the 53^rd minute. Alex Willis made a nice pass in the box to Alex Greive, and he played the ball over to Murphy. Murphy put his shot to the left of the goalkeeper from close range to double the lead.
• Rizwaan Dharsey scored his first goal of the season in the 81^st minute. Rikard Lindqvist played a ball up the field to Dharsey, and he beat the keeper near post to give the Norse the 3-0 advantage.

 
BETWEEN THE POSTS

• Jim Barkei faced eight shots on the evening but just one was on goal. Barkei improves his record to 6-1 on the year.

 
 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Lindqvist had the first shot of the match in the sixth minute. He took a free kick, but the attempt was high of the mark.
• Murphy scored in the 15^th minute to put NKU ahead 1-0.
• Willis had shots in the 20^th and 23^rd minute, but both attempts were saved by the EIU goalkeeper.
• In the 24^th minute, Jørgensen put his header on frame, but the attempt was saved.
• Willis had another chance to score in the 44^th minute. Tom Suchecki played a corner kick into the box. Willis put a strong header on goal, but the EIU goalkeeper prevented the shot from going in.
• NKU had a 10-2 shot advantage in the half.
• The Norse also recorded four corner kicks, compared to none for EIU. 

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Murphy gave the Norse a 2-0 lead in the 53^rd minute.
• Willis had his header attempt saved in the 55^th minute.
• Barkei made a save in the 58^th minute on a shot by Cameron Behm. Behm took his shot from the right side, and Barkei was able to keep it out of the net by defecting the ball out of bounds for a corner kick.
• Dharsey scored in the 81^st minute to put NKU ahead 3-0.
• Nick Perez nearly scored in the 89^th minute. He found space on the left side of the box, but his shot was just to the right of the far post, and it went out of bounds for a goal kick.
• NKU had a 7-6 shot advantage in the half.

 
MATCH NOTES

• The Norse finished the evening with 17 shots, compared to eight for EIU.
• NKU also recorded six corner kicks, while the Panthers had four.
• Alex Greive now has 11 assists on the season. He entered the match leading the NCAA in that category.
• NKU has eight wins on the season. The record for wins in the Division I era for the program is nine, which was set in 2013.

 
UP NEXT

• The Norse travel to Oakland for a Horizon League contest on Saturday, Oct. 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on ESPN3.