HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Four Norse scored and eight delivered a total of nine assists as the Northern Kentucky men's soccer team lit off some offensive fireworks at NKU Soccer Stadium in Tuesday's 8-1 win over VMI. Jesse Randall and Dylan Bufton both notched hat tricks to help the Norse improve to 2-2-0 on the season. VMI falls to 0-4-0.
 
Head Coach Stu Riddle
"I think it was the type of performance we came to expect from this group in the spring. Much needed. I don't think we've been in the greatest form so far this year, but it shows that we are ready to get conference play started this weekend."
 
Scoring

• Not quite 12 full minutes into the match, Ben Hegge slipped a ball to Bufton on the right side of the box who went far side for the first score of the match.
• The Norse scored again in the 22^nd minute. Sam Slocum played a ball over top to Roberto Burlew. Burlew finished off the pass for his first score of the season.
• VMI's Nathan Lam put the Keydets on the scoreboard after converting on a PK.
• Kyle Healy played a ball forward in the 36^th. Randall ran onto the ball and beat the VMI keeper for the third Norse score of the first half.
• Burlew played a ball forward to Bufton in the 64^th and the senior slammed a shot home from about 10-yards out.
• Randall scored for the second and third times of the match in the 67^th and 72^nd minutes. Ryan Godding slotted a ball through to Randall who took one touch and fired far post for the score. Craig Wellens played a ball out of the corner that Sam Robinson launched to the far left side of the box where Randall headed back across traffic for the score.
• Bufton tallied his third goal, heading home a corner kick from Wellens, in the 81^st.
• Brodie Sallows provided the final tally with a strike off an RJ Linenkugel assist in the 86^th minute.

 
Between the Posts

• Daniel Birmingham picked up the win (2-2-0) after going the full 90 in goal. He faced five total shots, only two of which were on goal, and made one save.
• Broden Schull (0-4-0) allowed all eight Norse goals and made four saves.

 
Match Summary

• The Norse fired three shots in the first six minutes of the match, but none of them found paydirt.
• Bufton provided the first tally of the afternoon in the 12^th minute and Burlew put the Norse ahead by two in the 22^nd.
• NKU ended up getting nine shots off in the first 25 minutes and VMI didn't get its first attempt until the penalty kick goal in the 26^th minute.
• The Keydets forced Bermingham to make a save 29 seconds following their goal, but he was up to the task.
• Randall put the final first-half mark on the scoreboard in the 36^th minute.
• The first shot in the second half by either team came from Randall's foot six minutes into the stanza, but he put it out high.
• In the 64^th minute, Bufton began the onslaught of Norse goals, as the team scored five times in a span of 22 minutes. Randall followed with two goals (67', 72') and Bufton added another (81') to give each of the two a hat trick.
• Sallows gave NKU its eighth goal and fourth goal scorer of the afternoon in the 86^th.

 
Norse Notes

• Randall and Bufton both registered hat tricks for the Norse, as NKU had four different players score goals in the match.
• Eight different Norse also registered an assist. As a team, NKU posted nine total assists on its eight goals. Wellens led the way two, while Slocum, Burlew, Healy, Godding, Hegge, Robinson, and Linenkugel each tallied one.
• Northern Kentucky's eight goals scored are a program record against DI competition, bettering the six goals scored against Detroit Mercy on Oct. 13, 2018.
• The eight goals are also the most scored this year by a Division I program against another DI program. Only Radford has more, but its nine goals came against DII Concord on Aug. 27.

 
 
Next Up
The Norse begin defense of their 2020 Horizon League Regular-Season Championship when they host Robert Morris on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m.