HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team (3-5-1, 2-2 HL) looks to make it three wins in a row when they host Division III Berea on Wednesday night at NKU Soccer Stadium.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY vs. BEREA
Wednesday, Oct. 9 – 7:00 p.m. – NKU Soccer Stadium
SERIES HISTORY
NKU leads the series 7-1. The Norse defeated the Mountaineers, 6-1, during their last meeting in 1991.
LAST TIME OUT
Alex Greive surged the Norse past UIC on Saturday, 3-2, with the first-ever hat trick of NKU's Division I era. Down a goal at the half, Greive kicked off his scoring assault in the 48th minute. With a cross from Connor Probert and a header pass from Sam Nwosu, Greive sent a shot just outside of the box and into the bottom-right corner of the net. The junior then gave the Norse a 2-1 advantage in the 78th minute after driving home the rebound off of a saved penalty kick. Finally, with the match equalized at two apiece, Greive drilled a shot down the middle of the posts in the 83rd minute to seal the game. Baj Maan was another key player in the game, registering five saves and making significant plays when facing 10 corner kick situations.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Berea is currently 3-10 overall and 0-8 in the USA South conference at the Division III level. Max Jr. currently leads the Mountaineers with five goals and an assist. Junior Gyamfi is not far behind in the season box-score with three goals and a trio of assists.
MAKING THE OTHER TEAMS GREIVE
Alex Greive is on a roll as the Norse reach the halfway point of the 2019 slate. The junior currently leads the team with four goals, which have come in the past two matches against arguably the best two teams in the Horizon League. 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. 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 81-86-26. 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.
