HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team heads to IUPUI on Sunday for a Horizon League match. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
NORTHERN KENTUCKY vs. IUPUI
Sunday, Oct. 28 – 1 p.m. – Indianapolis, Indiana – ESPN3 – Live Stats
 
SERIES HISTORY
NKU has a narrow 3-2-3 lead in the series. The teams last met on Sept. 23, 2017, and the Norse came away with a 3-0 win.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Norse earned three points in the team's 2-1 win over Cleveland State on Saturday, Oct. 20. Alex Willis put the Norse ahead 1-0 in the 30^th minute. NKU went down to 10 players in the 66^th minute, and the Vikings responded with a goal in the 87^th minute to tie the match at 1-1. However, senior Tom Suchecki scored with 57 seconds left to lift the Norse to victory on Senior Day. Fellow senior Rizwaan Dharsey had the assist on Suchecki's goal.
 
TAKING A LOOK AT THE STATS
The Norse are 10-5 on the season and 2-3 in the Horizon League. The 10 wins are the most victories for the program in a season in the Division I era.  NKU is averaging 2.40 goals per match and allowing an average of 1.53 goals per contest. The Norse are 7-0 when scoring at least three goals in a match. The team is eighth in the NCAA in scoring offense. Alex Willis ranks third in the nation in total points and goals with 39 and 16, respectively. Alex Greive is tied for first in the NCAA with 11 assists. Greive is tied with Jackson Dietrich of Wright State and Jesus Perez of UIC for the most assists. Senior goalkeeper Jim Barkei has started 10 contests and has an 8-2 record this season. He has recorded 34 saves for a 0.694 save percentage and a 1.56 goals against average.
 
ALEX WILLIS AND ALEX GREIVE EARN NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Sophomore midfielder Alex Greive was named to the Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News National Team of the Week for his play from Sept. 10-16. He also earned Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors. Greive recorded an assist on all five goals that NKU scored. The Norse went 2-0 with wins over Evansville and previously unbeaten Green Bay. Greive had three assists in the 3-0 win over Evansville on Tuesday, Sept. 11. He followed that up with two assists in the 2-1 win over Green Bay on Saturday, Sept. 15. Green Bay had a 4-0-1 record entering the match. Greive's second assist against Green Bay occurred with 1:17 left in the match to help the Norse get the victory.
 
Freshman forward Alex Willis earned national recognition for his play from Aug. 27-Sept. 2. Willis was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week, and he also earned United Soccer Coaches Player of the Week honors for NCAA Division I. In addition to his national awards, Willis was named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week.
 
Willis helped the Norse to a 3-2 victory over preseason Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) favorite Canisius on Monday, Aug. 27. He scored two goals and recorded an assist in the match against the Golden Griffins. Willis followed that up with two goals against Duquesne on Friday, Aug. 31 in NKU's 2-1 win. Despite the Norse playing with nine men starting late in the second half, Willis scored the game-winner in the 96^th minute to lift NKU to victory. Willis followed that performance with a goal and two assists on Sunday, Sept. 2 to help the Norse defeat Robert Morris 3-2.
 
SECOND SEASON
Head coach Stu Riddle is in his second season leading the program, and it is his 10^th season as a head coach. He has an overall record of 78-79-25. Assistant coach Blair Stevenson and volunteer assistant coach Roger Lane are also in their second years at NKU, while assistant coach Sam Brooks is in his first season on the Norse coaching staff.
 
TAKING A LOOK AT THE SQUAD
The Norse return 14 players from last year's team and add nine newcomers to the fold for 2018. Wes Collins, Justin Earle, Ed Harvey, Will Hunt, Stian Jørgensen, Sam Mason, Connor Probert, Sam Slocum, and Alex Willis are in their first seasons at NKU.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
IUPUI enters the contest at 3-10-3 overall and 3-3-1 in the Horizon League. The Jaguars' matchup against the Norse is the final contest of the regular season for the team. Alan Aguilar leads the team with four goals and nine points. Corey Goede has added three assists on the season. In the net, Quinn McCallion has started 15 matches for IUPUI. He has made 81 saves for a 0.802 save percentage and a 1.23 goals against average. McCallion also has four shutouts on the season.