HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer match against Purdue Fort Wayne will be moved up to Tuesday night due to an inclement weather forecast on Wednesday. The match will have free admission and will begin at 7:00 p.m. The match's ESPN3 broadcast has been cancelled.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY vs. PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Tuesday, Oct. 29 – 7:00 p.m. – NKU Soccer Stadium – NO BROADCAST
SERIES HISTORY
NKU leads the series 17-3-4. The Norse lost to the Mastodons, 3-0, in their last matchup on September 17, 2018.
LAST TIME OUT
The Norse lost in a torrential downpour of a road match at Milwaukee, 2-1, on Saturday night. Alex Greive netted the only NKU goal in the 76th minute after getting a pass from Ryan Godding. The Norse spent much of the latter minutes trying to equalize the game, but ultimately ran out of time. Their best chance to knot up the score came off a corner kick in the 79th minute. Baj Maan played the whole match at goal, making three saves.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Purdue Fort Wayne is currently 3-12 on the season and winless in Summit League play. The Mastodons, who will join the Horizon League next season, are led by sophomore Alex Frank with four goals on the year. Blake Cearns is the only other Mastodon with more than one goal (2). Tor Erik Larsen has spent every minute this season between the posts and has a 2.93 GAA and a .645 save percentage. The Norse share several common opponents with Purdue Fort Wayne, most of which defeated the Mastodons: Marshall (L, 3-0), IUPUI (L, 2-0), Green Bay (W, 1-0), Wright State (L, 3-1), Oral Roberts (L, 6-0) and Detroit Mercy (L, 1-0).
MAKING THE OTHER TEAMS GREIVE
Alex Greive is on a roll as the Norse battle through the second half of the 2019 slate. The junior currently leads the team with 11 goals, eight of which came in a three-match span against arguably the best two teams in the Horizon League and Berea. His hat-trick effort against UIC garnered him Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors on October 7. He has scored a goal in six of the last eight matches.
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 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. Alex Greive and Probert, who also return, put up five goals apiece. 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 82-91-26. 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.
