HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team (4-5-1, 2-2, HL) aims for its fourth-straight win when it takes a road trip up to Detroit Mercy on Saturday.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY at DETROIT MERCY
Saturday, Oct. 12 – 7:00 p.m. – Detroit, Michigan – ESPN+
SERIES HISTORY
NKU leads the series 3-1-1. The Norse defeated the Titans, 6-2, in their last matchup on October 13, 2018.
LAST TIME OUT
NKU put on a show for the home crowd on Wednesday night, routing Berea, 11-0. NKU's 11 goals in the match was the highest in a single game in all of Division I and Division II men's soccer this season. Alex Greive picked up the first haul of NKU's Division I era and Sam Mason had just the second-ever NKU Division I hat trick. Baj Maan picked up the second shutout of his young goalkeeping career in the match as he faced just three shots the entire night.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Detroit Mercy is currently 3-7-1 overall and 0-2-1 in Horizon League play after a 1-0 nonconference loss to Big Ten opponent Michigan on Wednesday night. Seven different Titans have scored the eight Detroit Mercy goals this season as Kyle Bandyk is the only player with two. Devin Mendez has played every minute at goal this season, garnering a 1.95 GAA and .607 save percentage.
MAKING THE OTHER TEAMS GREIVE
Greive is on a roll as the Norse reach the halfway point of the 2019 slate. The junior currently leads the team with eight goals, which have come in the past three matches against arguably the best two teams in the Horizon League, Wright State and UIC, and Berea. His hat-trick effort against UIC garnered him Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors on October 7.
BRINGING DOWN LAST YEAR'S GOLIATHS
A season ago, Wright State won the Horizon League regular-season title and UIC won the Tournament. In back-to-back games, NKU has defeated both teams by results of 2-1 and 3-2, respectively.
PRESEASON POLLING
Northern Kentucky was selected to finish sixth in this year's Horizon League preseason poll, receiving 46 points. Wright State, last year's regular season champion, topped the poll with 74 points and four first-place votes. UIC, which won the Horizon League Tournament a year ago, was the clear second choice, garnering 69 points and the remaining five first-place votes.
A YEAR AGO
NKU finished its 2018 campaign with a 10-7 overall and 3-5 record in the Horizon League. The Norse showed off a capable offense, scoring 2.18 goals a game thanks much in part to returning leading scorer Alex Willis, who finished the year with 16 goals. Greive and Probert, who also return, put up five goals apiece. Jim Barkei led NKU between the posts for much of the season, playing in 12 games, accumulating 45 saves and donning an 8-4 record.
TAKING A LOOK AT THE SQUAD
The Norse return 13 players from last year's team and add 11 newcomers to the fold for 2019. Brendan Auguste, Daniel Bermingham, Gianni Bouzoukis, Gino Geiser, Ryan Godding, Maan, Samuel Nwosu, Mahamud Osman, Josiah Pokopac, Sallows and Ali Zohar are all in their first season at NKU.
RIDDLE ME THIS
Head coach Stu Riddle is in his third season leading the program, and it is his 11th season as a head coach. He has an overall record of 82-86-26. Since his hiring, NKU has seen steady improvement, with last year's 10-7 campaign being the most wins in the program's Division I era.
