DAYTON, Ohio – The Northern Kentucky women's soccer team's season stays alive after a 3-1 win over Wright State at Alumni Field on Monday night.

"The first goal was perfectly executed, it was an outstanding restart goal and it's something that we work on almost daily," said head coach Bob Sheehan. "Earlier in the year we were not making the run we had in the second goal as clean as we needed to and it couldn't have been more perfect. Ally put the ball right where she needed to as the timing was exceptional. For that to be the game-winning goal was pretty exciting. Overall I think we really dug in defensively and didn't give them much as we really competed and our team has a lot of momentum right now."
 
"I think we played really well as a team and collectively put in a ton of effort," said Shawna Zaken, the 2019 Horizon League player of the year. "We've been working all season to get to this point and everyone showed tonight that they want to win."
 
"This was a huge win for us," said Lindsey Meyer. "We wanted it more than the other team and I think we're all playing for the seniors here so it wasn't their last game."
 

BETWEEN THE POSTS

• Mimi Stines made a pair of saves, faced 13 shots and allowed one goal.

MATCH SUMMARY

• The Raiders' offense had a dangerous opportunity to score in the seventh minute of the game as Jordyne Helinski had a wide-open shot on available on goal. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Helinski was unable to track down the ball and an hit the outside post.
• With the defense settled in, NKU's offense was finally able to go to work and take control of the game. After multiple corner kick opportunities, Lindsey Meyer continued the recent success, taking quick passes from Kailey Ivins and Hannah Fischer to drill in a goal.
• The Norse continued to have success navigating through the midfield and reaching the final third. Kiley Keehan and Ashleigh Cronin had two good chances on goal in the 28th and 32nd minutes, respectively.
• NKU kept pouring on the pressure to end the half and it paid off. With just inches to spare from the play turning into a Wright State goal kick, Ally Perkins dished from the far side of the penalty area to an open Zaken in the box, who tapped the ball into the bottom-left corner of the net during the 41st minute.
•  With a 2-0 cushion in the second half, the Norse had their hands full because urgency had set in for the Raiders. Momentum slowly swung in Wright State's favor as the Raiders took over the possession battle.
• WSU's efforts came to fruition as Sydni Callahan netted a goal in the 72nd minute, bringing the score to 2-1 NKU.
• The Norse were doing all they could to hang on for a 2-1 win, but the opportunity was there for Zaken to seal it. Perkins took control of a goal kick in the 87th minute, who flung a pass over to Zaken. The recently-named Horizon League Player of the Year ended up shooting a 25-yarder that squeezed between the keeper and the top of the posts, putting the Norse up, 3-1.

NORSE NOTES

• Meyer has stepped up in NKU's current four-game winning streak. After having no goals to start the season, the freshman is dialed in, scoring three goals in the last four matches.
• Zaken is riding a hot streak of back-to-back braces and five goals in the last three matches.
• Tonight's assist by Kailey Ivins is her seventh on the year. She now leads the Norse in that category.
• NKU has outscored its opponents 12-2 in the last four matches.

UP NEXT

• The Norse head up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to play two-seed UIC at 5:00 p.m. ET in the Horizon League Semifinal. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.