HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team defeated Canisius on Monday by a final score of 3-2 in the team's home opener. The Norse are now 2-0 on the season, and Canisius falls to 1-1.
 
"It was a very big result in difficult conditions today, and all the credit goes to our players for finding a way to win," said NKU head coach Stu Riddle. "We have proven both away from home and at home that we can beat very good sides, and we must continue this momentum next weekend in Pittsburgh."
 
NKU SCORING SUMMARY

• Trailing 1-0, Calvin Murphy fired a shot in the upper right corner from outside of the box to tie the match at 1-1 in the 25^th minute.
• Alex Willis allowed NKU to take a 2-1 lead in the 55^th minute. Jim Barkei played a ball over the top of the Canisius defense, and Willis was able to track it down. Willis lofted his shot over a defender and into the back of the net.
• With the score tied 2-2, Willis notched his second goal of the match to put NKU ahead 3-2 in the 82^nd minute. Alex Greive's initial shot was saved by the Canisius goalkeeper, but he was able to track it down and play it over to Willis, who tapped it in from close range.

 
BETWEEN THE POSTS

• Barkei played the full 90 minutes in net for the Norse. He faced 12 shots, and made four saves.

 
 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Connor Probert took the first shot of the match in the third minute, but his attempt was blocked.
• Willis fired a shot on goal in the 10^th minute, but his attempt was saved.
• Stian Jørgensen had his header attempt saved in the 13^th minute. He also had a header in the 18^th minute, but it went wide left.
• In the 23^rd minute, Canisius' Hunter Walsh fired a shot from the left side of the box into the back of the net to give the Golden Griffins a 1-0 lead.
• Murphy scored the equalizer in the 25^th minute to tie the match at 1-1.
• Probert recorded another shot on goal in the 28^th minute.
• Barkei picked up his first save of the match in the 30^th minute.
• Barkei made an outstanding save in the 38^th minute. Canisius' Troy Brady was one-on-one with Barkei, and he was able to deflect it out of bounds for a corner kick.

 
SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Harvey Moyes put an attempt on frame in the 51^st minute.
• Willis gave the Norse a 2-1 lead in the 55^th minute.
• Greive had his shot on goal saved in the 64^th minute.
• Canisius' Melvin Blair fired a shot on goal in the 67^th minute. Barkei made the initial save, but Blair was able to track down the ball and finish his second shot to tie the match at 2-2.
• Barkei was called into action again in the 70^th minute on a shot by Will Pauls.
• Greive's shot on goal was save in the 82^nd minute, but he tracked the ball down and played it to Willis, who finished his shot to give the Norse a 3-2 lead.
• Canisius looked to score the equalizer in the 83^rd minute, but the Golden Griffins were whistled offside.

 
MATCH NOTES

• The Norse had 19 shots in the match, compared to 12 for Canisius.
• NKU took seven corner kicks, and Canisius had four.
• Canisius was voted the preseason favorite to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).

 
UP NEXT
 

• The Norse travel to Pennsylvania this weekend to take on Duquesne and Robert Morris. NKU faces Duquesne on Friday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m., and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.