HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team travels to UIC on Friday evening for the team's final contest of the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m CT), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
NORTHERN KENTUCKY vs. UIC
Friday, Oct. 26 – 8 p.m. ET – Chicago, Ill. – ESPN+ - Live Stats
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Norse leads the series 3-0. In the last meeting, NKU defeated UIC 2-0 on Sept. 15, 2017.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Milwaukee defeated NKU on Saturday, Oct. 20 by a final score of 1-0. The Panthers scored a goal in the 66^th minute to get the victory.
 
TAKING A LOOK AT THE STATS
The Norse are 9-5-1 overall and 5-2-1 in the Horizon League. NKU also sports a 6-0 record when leading at the half. NKU is averaging 1.40 goals per match and gives up an average of 0.93 goals per contest. Shawna Zaken and Samantha Duwel each have five goals and five assists on the season for 15 points. Emily Soltes has recorded four goals and six assists for 14 points. Emily Lohmann has started every match at goalkeeper for the Norse. Lohmann and the NKU defense have combined for six shutouts this year. Lohmann has made 49 saves for a 0.778 save percentage and a 0.90 goals against average.  
 
HORIZON LEAGUE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lohmann was named the Nike® Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Aug. 27 for her play from Aug. 20-26. She recorded a shutout for the Norse in the 1-0 win over Xavier on Thursday evening. Lohmann faced 12 shots on the night and made five saves in the contest. She also had another good showing in a 1-0 overtime loss to Cincinnati on Sunday evening. Lohmann faced 18 shots and made six saves in that contest.
 
THIS YEAR'S SQUAD
The Norse return 17 players from last year's team and welcome six newcomers to the squad. Lily Menssen, Ashleigh Cronin, Morgan Jewell, Ella Holland, Madelyn Koewler and Chloe Mills are in their first seasons at NKU.
 
HORIZON LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
The Norse will host a Horizon League quarterfinal match on Monday, Oct. 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at NKU soccer Stadium with an opponent to be determined. The Norse have an all-time record of 4-1-1 in the Horizon League Tournament. In 2015, the Norse defeated Cleveland State 1-0 in the quarterfinal, but bowed out of the tournament in the semifinals to Oakland on penalty kicks. The 2016 edition of the tournament saw the Norse win three matches to capture the Horizon League Championship. NKU defeated Wright State, Detroit Mercy and Milwaukee to earn the program's first bid to the Division I NCAA Tournament, where the Norse faced No. 1 West Virginia. In the 2017 tournament, NKU fell to IUPUI by a score of 3-2. The Jaguars scored two goals in the final 6:04 of the match to get the victory. IUPUI went on to win the Horizon League Championship.
 
HEAD COACH BOB SHEEHAN
Bob Sheehan is in his 22^nd season at the helm of the NKU women's soccer team. He sports a 315-105-29 (.734) all-time record. Sheehan won his 300^th career match last season against Appalachian State on Aug. 29, 2017. His teams are 23-7-5 in Horizon League regular-season play.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
UIC enters the match at 4-13-1 on the season and 3-5 in Horizon League play. The Flames have won two of their past three matches, but the team fell to Oakland by a score of 1-0 in its most recent contest. Emily Kavanaugh leads the team with five goals and three assists for 13 points. Tamae Douglas has added three goals on the season. In the net, time has been split between Haley Leanna and Tara Khayam. Leanna has played in nine matches. She has 45 saves for a 0.789 save percentage and a 1.49 goals against average. Khayam has played in 11 matches. She also has 45 saves on the year, but for a 0.577 save percentage and a 3.14 goals against average.