HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team (2-5-1, 1-2 HL) take on the UIC flames on Saturday at NKU Soccer Stadium. The Norse are coming off a big win over Horizon League preseason favorites Wright State.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY vs. UIC
Saturday, Oct. 5 – 1:00 p.m. – NKU Soccer Stadium– ESPN+
SERIES HISTORY
UIC leads the series 3-0-1. The Norse fell to the Flames, 3-0, in their last matchup on November 2, 2018.
LAST TIME OUT
NKU took home its 50th win of the Division I era last Saturday when they defeated Wright State, 2-1. With NKU trailing after an early goal by the Raiders, Norse defender Stian Jørgensen knotted the game with a header off a cross from Rikard Lindqvist in the 49th minute. Alex Greive pushed the Norse into the lead at the 79-minute mark with an unassisted shot to the bottom-left corner of the net. Wright State was selected as the preseason favorite this year to win the Horizon League.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
UIC is off to a blistering start in its 2019 campaign. The Flames' only two losses this season are to Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Northwestern by scores of 1-0 and 2-1, respectively. Those losses are also the only time this season that UIC didn't score 2 or more goals. Bar Hazut leads the Flames in scoring with seven goals and a pair of assists. Jesus Perez is the lead assist-generator for the team, compiling six this year to go along with his four goals. At keeper, Sokratis Vasilas has started every match and owns a 1.15 GAA and a 0.739 save percentage.
PROBERT'S INCREASING ROLE
In his last year as a Norse, senior Connor Probert is making a significant contribution to the season box score. The New Zealand native owns a goal and three assists to his name, with the latter being half of what he recorded a year ago. After placing 13 shots on goal last season, he's currently at 12.
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 80-86-26. 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.
