HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky men's soccer (0-1) faces off with Milwaukee (1-0) on Wednesday at NKU Soccer Stadium.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY vs. MILWAUKEE
Wednesday, Feb. 10 – 1:00 p.m. ET – Highland Heights, Ky. – ESPN+
Due to the abundant snow fall in the last 24 hours and amount of snow in the concourse and seating area, we will not be able to accommodate a pass list. We appreciate your understanding and support.
SERIES HISTORY
The Panthers lead the series 5-0 overall. In the last matchup with Milwaukee, NKU fell, 2-1, on Oct. 26, 2019.
LAST TIME OUT
The Norse opened the season with a 2-1 loss to Detroit Mercy in NKU Soccer Stadium. Northern Kentucky newcomer,
Sam Robinson, scored the first goal in the 25th minute of the young season with a well-placed kick to the bottom-left corner of the net. Detroit Mercy followed with a score of its own five minutes later to make it 1-1 at halftime before the Titans knocked in the game-winner in the 66th minute.
SCOUTING MILWAUKEE
To follow a 10-6-4 season in 2019, Milwaukee kicked off the new slate with a 3-2 win over Horizon League newcomer, Purdue Fort Wayne, last Thursday. Logan Farrington, a freshman, had a brace in his college debut, scoring in the 16th and 58th minutes. Paolo Gratton had the other goal for the Panthers in the 20th minute. Like the Norse, Milwaukee also turned over a lot of its roster, with its top returning-scorer being Joshua Kidder, who had two goals and seven assists.
A YEAR AGO
The Norse finished 7-10-1 and 3-5 in the conference play in 2019. NKU began the season with a strong exhibition showing against No. 8 Kentucky, tying the Wildcats, 0-0. The Norse also took down both Wright State, the eventual Horizon League Tournament Champions, and UIC, the holder of the regular-season crown. On Oct. 9, the Norse reached the back of the net an impressive 11 times en route to shutting out Berea, tying Syracuse for the most goals in a single game in Division I on the season.
HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
Northern Kentucky was selected to finish eighth in the 2020-21 edition of the Horizon League preseason poll with 48 points. UIC and Oakland both claimed the top-spot with 109 points, but the Flames garnered eight first-place votes compared to Oakland's three. Wright State rounded out the top three in the poll with 88 points.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Three former Bearcats, all entering their sophomore campaigns after transferring in the offseason due to Cincinnati discontinuing its program, join the Norse with three years remaining in their respective soccer careers. Robinson, a forward, played in 16 games a year ago, logging 699 minutes and scoring his first-career goal versus Cleveland State on Oct. 9.
Kyle Healy, a midfielder, also struck in a goal against Xavier on Sept. 6 to go along with an assist against Purdue Fort Wayne on Oct. 1. Finally,
Ben Hegge, another midfielder, appeared in 11 games for the Bearcats, seeing the pitch for 294 minutes.
WHO WILL STEP UP?
With 12 departures from last year's team, NKU is without its top-three goal-scorers this season.
Ryan Godding, a midfielder, is the top returning-scorer with a pair of goals and three assists a year ago. NKU also returns
Brodie Sallows, who had two goals and an assist last year, as well as all six goals in the lone spring-season match against Georgetown College before the COVID-19 Pandemic halted all NKU athletic programs.
NEW YEAR, NEW NORSE
Along with Healy, Hegge and Robinson, nine other Norse are new additions this season:
Deryn Armstrong,
Dylan Bufton,
Roberto Burlew,
Trey Denigan,
Tobias Karlsen,
Daniel Kaufman,
Cam Newton,
Jesse Randall and Andrés Zaffino.
RIDDLE ME THIS
Following a 1-13-4 season in 2016,
Stu Riddle was hired to lead NKU's men's soccer program and the Norse have been 24-24-5 in the last four years. Riddle led NKU to a 10-7 showing in 2018, which is the highest win-mark in NKU's Division I era. Riddle is an 11-year head-coaching veteran, owning an 85-92-26 record. He is joined by assistants
Blair Stevenson (fourth season) and
Sam Brooks (third season).
