HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky men's soccer (7-2) fell just short to Milwaukee (8-4), 1-0, on Saturday evening at NKU Soccer Stadium in the Horizon League Championship match.
"First off, we have to congratulate Milwaukee," said head coach
Stu Riddle. "They were in at a four-seed and Oakland had an incident that shut them down and they managed to come away with five wins in a row and deservedly won the match today. We can't discount how far this team has come. We've got one senior, everyone's going to be back and we've got some really good additions that will be joining us in the fall. I think everyone's just stinging a little bit now, but we're really looking forward to the program moving forward."
BETWEEN THE POSTS
- Daniel Bermingham played all 90 minutes at keeper for NKU, facing 17 shots, making five saves and allowing the lone goal of the match.
MATCH SUMMARY
- After a very quiet start to the half, Brodie Sallows had the first burst of action, placing a shot on target down the middle in the 15th minute. He followed that up two minutes later with another shot on goal.
- Andrés Zaffino was given a yellow card in the 18th minute.
- After a shot on goal in the 20th minute by Milwaukee, the Panthers found another great shot opportunity just 11 seconds later, converting it into a goal.
- Stian Jørgensen had a fantastic shot attempt get saved at the center of the goal in the 24th minute.
- Milwaukee received a yellow in the 28th minute.
- The Panthers had the only other shot attempt to finish out the half in the 39th minute.
- It was a rough start to the half for both sides. Milwaukee received a yellow card in the 47th minute, while Ryan Godding and Jørgensen took yellows in the 48th and 49th minutes, respectively. Dylan Bufton was given a straight-red in the 49th for a slide tackle, putting the Norse down a man.
- Milwaukee poured in five shots in the next 20 minutes, but the Norse defense refused to budge.
- The Norse had a lot of offensive energy in them despite playing with just 10 on the field, with Sam Robinson placing a great shot on target off a corner in the 77th minute.
- Unfortunately for the Norse, Milwaukee held steady defensively and picked up the victory.
NORSE NOTES
- Northern Kentucky finishes the season at 7-2 for a .778 winning percentage, the best in the Division I era.
- Bermingham's great season between the posts will slot him in the record books. His. 0.75 GAA is the sixth-best season by a Norse keeper, while his .837 save percentage is the fourth best in school history.
- Northern Kentucky's defense this season will also be one to remember. The Norse allowed just seven goals and allowed more than one goal just twice this season for an outstanding team GAA of 0.75.
