FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Northern Kentucky women's soccer program put up another hard-fought effort, but a contested Purdue Fort Wayne goal in the 61^st-minute was enough to give the Mastodons a 1-0 victory in a Horizon League match at the Hefner Soccer Complex on Thursday evening.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Purdue Fort Wayne – 1, Northern Kentucky – 0
LOCATION: Hefner Soccer Complex – Fort Wayne, Indiana
RECORDS: PFW: 7-2-4 (3-0-2 HL), NKU: 1-7-2 (1-3-1 HL)
 
INSIDE THE NORSE BOX SCORE
- Sofia Wilmes paced the Northern Kentucky offense with two shots on goal. Shelby Wall, Megan Sullivan and Maria Wiefering also notched shots on target for the Norse.
- Mimi Stines recorded five saves in the contest for NKU.
- The Norse held a 3-0 edge in corner kicks and attempted six shots in the first and four more in the second half.
- It was the second straight game that NKU has recorded 10 or more shot attempts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The two sides played a back-and-forth opening half that saw PFW slightly outshoot NKU by a 9-6 margin. Neither side could push one across the goal line as the two sides headed to the locker room tied 0-0.
- Purdue Fort Wayne started to apply pressure in the opening of the second half and were able to cash in a chance at the 61^st-minute to jump ahead 1-0.
- It was NKU's turn to put pressure on the opposition, but the Norse could only generate a single shot on goal over the final 45 minutes. A last second chance at goal went just high of the crossbar as PFW escaped with the 1-0 victory.
 
FOR THE FOES
- Gigi Ricciardi found the back of the net for Purdue Fort Wayne off an assist from Morgan Reitano.
- Samantha Castaneda turned aside all five Norse shots to post her sixth clean sheet of the season, a total that is tied for the best mark in the Horizon League.
 
NEXT UP
Northern Kentucky will look to make it a three-match unbeaten streak at home with a Sunday afternoon showdown against Horizon League foe Youngstown State on Oct. 9 at 1 PM ET at the NKU Soccer Stadium. The contest will feature NKU's Pink Game celebration to raise awareness for those affected by breast cancer. Fans and supporters can purchase their tickets to Sunday's match here.
 

FOLLOW NKU NORSE WOMEN'S SOCCER
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA DI women's college soccer team through @NKUNorseWSOC on Twitter, @NKUNorseWSOC on Instagram, nkunorsewsoc on Facebook and subscribe to the NKU Norse Youtube channel.