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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky women's soccer team opens its 2022 campaign with a short trip to the University of Cincinnati for the Riverboat Rivalry series on Thursday, August 18. Kickoff is set for 7 PM ET and the game will be streamed in front of a national audience on ESPN+.
 
For NKU fans making the trip, admission is free and open to the public.
 
THE RIVERBOAT RIVALRY
Northern Kentucky is still looking for its first win in the local series, as Cincinnati enters the contest with a 4-0 edge overall. In the four matches, the Bearcats have outscored NKU by just a 5-1 margin. Returner Annie Greene notched the Norse's lone goal in a 2-1 defeat last season. When these programs met for the first time in 2016, the contest set an attendance record for UC with 4,722 fans packed inside Nippert Stadium.
 
NORSE PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN HORIZON LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The Northern Kentucky Women's Soccer program was selected by league coaches to finish third overall in the upcoming 2022 Horizon League campaign, per the conference's release of the Preseason Poll on Wednesday. The Norse will look to improve on their third-place finish from a season ago, where the group posted a 7-4 mark in conference play. NKU returns a strong core, which includes Freshman of the Year Lydia Self and All-League First Team selection Kaya Vogt.
 
SHEEHAN AT THE HELM
Head Coach Bob Sheehan has been the only coach in Northern Kentucky women's soccer program history and has built the NKU women's soccer program from scratch into one of the nation's best. Sheehan and the Norse won the Horizon League championship and advanced to the NCAA DI National Tournament for the first time in program history in 2016, the first year Northern Kentucky was eligible for NCAA DI postseason play. Since 2016, NKU has made it to at least the Horizon semifinals in all but one season. Sheehan picked up his 300th career victory on Aug. 29, 2017 and is 343-124-33 (.719) in 25 seasons with the Norse.
 
FOLLOW NKU NORSE WOMEN'S SOCCER
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's women's college soccer team through @NKUNorseWSOC on Twitter, @NKUNorseWSOC on Instagram, nkunorsewsoc on Facebook and subscribe to the NKU Norse Youtube channel.