BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team began the 2018 campaign with a 3-2 win over Bowling Green on Saturday evening.
 
"Tonight was a very good win for us on the road against a very good Bowling Green team," said NKU head coach Stu Riddle. "They have a very good opening night record at home, and this is a very difficult place to play. There were plenty of positives and plenty of things to work on ahead of Monday and beyond."
 
NKU SCORING SUMMARY

• Alex Willis gave the Norse a 1-0 lead in the 16^th minute. Rikard Lindqvist's cross into the box was deflected by a Bowling Green defender and went right to Willis. He one-timed the ball into the back of the net from about eight yards out.
• Alex Greive extended the lead to 2-0 in the 62^nd minute. The Bowling Green defense attempted to clear the ball out of the back, but the ball fell to the feet of Greive. He fired a shot from distance into the lower left corner of the net.
• Probert put NKU ahead 3-0 in the 86^th minute. A pass from Greive in the box found Probert, and he blasted a shot past the Bowling Green goalkeeper.

 
BETWEEN THE POSTS

• Jim Barkei played all 90 minutes in goal and faced 13 shots on the night.

 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Calvin Murphy took a shot on goal in the 12^th minute, but his attempt was saved by the Bowling Green goalkeeper.
• Willis' goal in the 16^th minute allowed NKU to go ahead 1-0.
• Willis was credited for another shot on goal in the 27^th minute, but the Bowling Green goalkeeper made a save.
• The Norse had four shots in the half, with three coming on goal.
• NKU also held Bowling Green to three shots in the period, and none of those attempts were on frame.
• Each team had two players receive yellow cards in the half.

 
SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Bowling Green had three shots in the first 11 minutes of the half.
• Felix Komolong's header attempt for NKU in the 59^th minute was wide of the mark.
• Greive gave the Norse a 2-0 lead in the 62^nd minute.
• A foul led to a Bowling Green free kick just outside the box in the 77^th minute, but the NKU defense blocked the shot to prevent the Falcons from scoring.  
• Probert nearly scored for NKU in the 79^th minute. Probert fired a shot from inside the box, but a Bowling Green defender cleared the ball off the line for a team save.
• Probert put NKU ahead 3-0 in the 86^th minute.
• Bowling Green pulled one back in the 86^th minute. Ebenezer Ackon's header found its way into the back of the net to make the score 3-1.
• Ackon scored another goal on a header in the 87^th minute to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Norse held on to get the victory.

 
MATCH NOTES

• Bowling Green had 13 shots on the night, and NKU recorded nine.
• The Norse had six attempts on goal, compared to two for the Falcons.
• Willis and Greive each scored their first career goals.
• Bowling Green had won seven straight season openers coming into the match.

 
UP NEXT

• The Norse play their first home match of the year on Monday, Aug. 27 against Canisius. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. at NKU Soccer Stadium, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.