HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team defeated Bethany College on Wednesday by a final score of 5-0. The Norse improve to 7-3 on the year, while the Bison fall to 3-6-2.
 
"I'd like to thank the staff of Bethany for being flexible enough to make this game work at the last minute," said NKU head coach Stu Riddle. "Overall, we got what we needed out of the game - a clean sheet and some valuable playing time for every fit player."
 
NKU SCORING SUMMARY

• Alex Greive scored in the fifth minute to give NKU a 1-0 lead. Alex Willis played a ball into the box, and Greive slipped his shot to the right of the goalkeeper.
• Willis scored in the 14^th minute to put NKU ahead 2-0. His initial shot was saved by the Bethany goalkeeper, but he was able to secure the rebound and fire the ball into the back of the net.  
• Calvin Murphy added to the lead in the 25^th minute. A corner kick played into the box by Connor Probert was headed toward Murphy by Willis, and Murphy finished from close range to help NKU take a 3-0 lead.
• Probert scored a little over a minute after Murphy to put the Norse ahead 4-0. Greive played the ball to Probert in the box, and he blasted a shot on the ground into the lower left corner.
• Abdul Kooistra played a cross into the box in the 83^rd minute, and Willis was there to tap the ball into the back of the net to extend the lead to 5-0.

 
BETWEEN THE POSTS

• Ed Harvey got the start in goal and made one save.
• Isaiah Schatz came on for the last 29 minutes, and he helped preserve the shutout.

 
FIRST HALF SUMMARY

• Greive gave the Norse a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute.
• Willis fired a shot on goal in the 12^th minute, but the Bethany goalkeeper made the save.
• In the 14^th minute, Willis put NKU ahead 2-0.
• Murphy and Probert scored a little over a minute apart from each other to extend the lead to 4-0.
• Bethany's Tony Cirri had a shot on goal in the 33^rd minute, but Harvey made an easy save on the attempt.
• The Norse had a 12-1 shot advantage in the half, which included seven shots on goal. NKU also had four corner kicks in the half.

SECOND HALF SUMMARY

• Willis had a header attempt in the 46^th minute, but his shot was cleared off of the goal line by a Bethany defender.
• In the 48^th minute, Willis blasted a shot, but it deflected off of an NKU player and out of bounds for a goal kick.
• Felix Komolong had a header attempt in the 53^rd minute, but his shot was just high of the frame.
• Alex Greive took a shot in the 63^rd minute but it was saved by the Bethany goalkeeper.
• Willis gave the Norse a 5-0 lead in the 83^rd minute.
• The Norse earned a free kick in the 87^th minute. Willis stepped up to take the kick, but his shot bounced off of a Bethany defender and into the goalkeeper's hands.

 
MATCH NOTES

• The Norse had a 26-1 shot advantage, including a 13-1 mark in shots on goal.
• NKU took 12 corner kicks, while Bethany had none.
• Willis finished the match with two goals and two assists. He was tied for second in the NCAA in goals and points coming into the match.
• Greive recorded his 10^th assist of the year. He led the nation in that category coming into the match.

 
 
UP NEXT

• The Norse host Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, October 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at NKU Soccer Stadium, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.