HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky men's soccer (6-1) faces UIC (6-1-1) in a crucial standoff on Tuesday in Chicago with the top seed in the Horizon League tournament on the line.  
       
NORTHERN KENTUCKY at UIC
Tuesday, March 30 – 1:00 p.m. CT / 2:00 P.M. ET – Loves Park, Ill. – ESPN+   
            
SERIES HISTORY       
UIC currently has the edge in the series, leading, 3-1-1. NKU took its first win in the last matchup, however, besting the Flames, 3-2, on October 5, 2019.  
       
LAST TIME OUT       
NKU made it six wins in a row with a 2-0 shutout victory over Robert Morris on March 18. Despite several great attempts on goal in the early going, the Norse didn't get on the scoreboard until Sam Robinson dished to Deryn Armstrong for a goal in the 71st minute. The Norse offense remained potent for the rest of the match, with Armstrong almost netting another shot in the 77th minute, but it was Dylan Bufton providing insurance with a goal in the 82nd minute. Daniel Bermingham faced eight shots as keeper, making three saves for the third clean-sheet of his career.  
    
SCOUTING UIC 
UIC proves to be a formidable foe for NKU, coming into the match with a 6-1-1 record and off the heels of three-straight shutout victories. Nkuswila Zulu paces the Flames offense with a stunning five goals and four assists on the year, while Jose Perez Flores does a little of everything as well, netting three goals and helping create three more. Pau Mateo will also be a major threat, netting two goals in the last three games. Between the posts is two-time Horizon League Player of the Week, Sokratis Vasilas, who leads the league in GAA (0.74) and save percentage (0.857).  
   
ATOP THE STANDINGS   
NKU heads into this game with at least the No. 2 seed in the Horizon League tournament locked up, securing a home match in the safety of NKU Soccer Stadium in the semifinal round. The Norse currently lead the standings with 2.57 points per match, followed by UIC (2.38), Oakland (2.13) and Green Bay (1.66) in the current tournament field; Milwaukee (1.5) and Wright State (1.43) are on the outside looking in. To guarantee NKU a No. 1 seed and homefield advantage throughout the tournament, the Norse will either need to defeat UIC or have the Flames fall to Detroit Mercy on April 5.  
    
YOU'RE NEW HERE? ME TOO! LET'S BE FRIENDS.      
It's a pair of newcomers that have led the Norse offense thus far. Bufton, a transfer from Tyler Junior College that had 14 goals in two years of action, had the lone goal in NKU's 1-0 win over Milwaukee on Feb. 10. He followed the performance with a goal and an assist in NKU's 2-1 win over Oakland on Feb. 22, as well as another goal against IUPUI on March 6. He currently leads the Norse in goals (five) and points (13). Robinson, who joins NKU this season after a freshman campaign at Cincinnati, gave NKU a 1-0 lead against Detroit Mercy before the Norse ultimately fell, 2-1 on Feb. 4, and netted the game-winner in the IUPUI matchup. Robinson also leads NKU with four assists this season.  
  
GODDING'S RISE  
After a great freshman season with two goals and three assists, Ryan Godding is playing at an even higher level in the 2020-21 campaign. He's up to a goal and a trio of assists, two coming in NKU's win over Oakland on Feb. 22. He's proven to be incredibly dangerous servicing NKU's corner kicks on the far side, assisting a Bufton-header for the win versus Oakland and netting the unassisted game-winner in a double-overtime win against Green Bay on March 12.   
 
REVENGE TOUR   
Four Horizon League opponents the Norse lost to a year ago have suffered losses to NKU this season, which proved crucial in earning NKU's first-ever berth in the Horizon League Tournament this season. NKU defeated Milwaukee, 1-0, on Feb. 10 (lost, 2-1, in 2019), Cleveland State, 2-1, on Feb. 28 (lost, 2-1, in 2019), IUPUI, 2-0, on March 6 (lost, 2-1, in 2019) and Green Bay, 3-2, on March 12 (lost, 3-2, in 2019).   
   
EVERY DAY IT GETS A LITTLE EASIER      
NKU has shown significant improvements defensively this season. In the first seven games of the 2019 season, the Norse gave up 100 shots, 46 shots on goal and 13 goals. NKU has improved in all of those metrics through seven games this season, allowing 74 shots, 25 shots on goal and six goals.    
 
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, Hegge, another midfielder, appeared in 11 games for the Bearcats, seeing the pitch for 294 minutes.        
   
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.          
     
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.          
              
NEW YEAR, NEW NORSE         
Along with Armstrong, Bufton, Healy, Hegge and Robinson, six other Norse are new additions this season: 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 30-24-5 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 a 91-92-26 record. He is joined by assistants Blair Stevenson (fourth season) and Sam Brooks (third season).