HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky men's soccer team (0-1-1, 0-0-0, HL) begins a two-game Western New York swing on Friday night when they take on Niagara (0-2-0, 0-0-0 MAAC). Following the matchup with the Purple Eagles, the Norse will play Canisius on Sunday.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY at NIAGARA
Friday, Sept. 6 – 7:00 p.m. – Lewiston, New York – Niagara Sports Network
SERIES HISTORY
This is NKU's first-ever meeting with Niagara.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY at CANISIUS
Sunday, Sept. 8 – 1:00 p.m. – Buffalo, New York – ESPN+
SERIES HISTORY
NKU leads 1-0 after defeating the Golden Griffins, 3-2, on August 27, 2018.
LAST TIME OUT
NKU is still searching for its first win of the 2019 season after drawing, 1-1, with Marshall on Monday night. In the 46th minute, newcomer Ryan Godding scored the only Norse goal with assists from Connor Probert and Alex Grieve. In a match that also saw several yellow cards from both sides, Marshall played down a man for 102 minutes after Carlos Diaz-Salcedo was given a red card.
SCOUTING NIAGARA
Niagara also enters the matchup winless after falling, 2-0, to Detroit Mercy and losing, 4-0, to Western Michigan. The Purple Eagles finished the 2018 season with a 3-15 record. They return two of their top goal scorers from last year: Luca Pachenco (3) and Dylan Avila (2).
SCOUTING CANISIUS
Coming off a 4-10-2 year, Canisius is currently 0-1-0 on the season after 4-1 loss to Bucknell on Sunday. Troy Brady, who led the Golden Griffins with six goals last season, had the lone Canisius goal. The Golden Griffins will play Binghamton on Friday night at 7:00 p.m., before playing NKU on Sunday.
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 Connor Probert, who also return, put up five goals apiece. The now-graduated 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, Baj Maan, Samuel Nwosu, Mahamud Osman, Josiah Pokopac, Brodie 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 78-82-25. 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.
