HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team fell to Kentucky on Sunday evening by a final score of 1-0 in front of a crowd of 1,384 at NKU Soccer Stadium. It was the team's final exhibition match of 2018.
 
"I thought it was a very valuable exhibition game for us tonight," said NKU head coach Stu Riddle. "I'm very pleased with some aspects of our play and also disappointed with some aspects. We weren't good enough in possession of the ball tonight and certainly not clinical enough with the opportunities we had. Overall, we have had an excellent preseason, and we will be able to draw a lot from the last 12 days to ensure we are better next weekend when we open up against Bowling Green."
 
BETWEEN THE POSTS

• Jim Barkei played the full 90 minutes in goal for the Norse. He faced seven shots and made four saves.

 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Barkei made his first save of the contest in the third minute.
• Kentucky took a 1-0 lead in the 18^th minute. An attempted clear by the NKU defense hit JJ Williams and found its way into the back of the net.
• The Norse took their first shot in the 21^st minute. Stian Jørgensen's header attempt was blocked by the Kentucky defense.
• Kentucky had four shots in the first half, with three on goal.
• Each team had two corner kicks.

 
SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• The Norse took a shot in the 59^th minute, but Alex Greive put his attempt high of the frame.
• Barkei made a save in the 66^th minute to prevent Kentucky from scoring.
• Barkei stopped a shot from Kentucky's Dantae Greer in the 82^nd minute.
• NKU's best scoring attempt of the night came in the 87^th minute. A cross was played into the box from the right side, Calvin Murphy was able to get a foot on it, but his attempt went wide left.
• Each team took a corner in the second half.
• Kentucky had three shots in the period, compared to two for NKU.

 
MATCH NOTES

• Each team had three corner kicks in the match.
• Kentucky has 18 fouls compared to 14 for NKU.
• Six yellow cards were issued between both teams.

 
UP NEXT

• The Norse open up the regular season at Bowling Green on Saturday, Aug. 25. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ohio.