ERIE, Pa. – Northern Kentucky University Norse Women's Soccer kicked off the 2025 season on Thursday afternoon, taking on Mercyhurst in an away contest. NKU drew first blood with an early goal, but the Lakers equalized on a penalty kick later in the first half. A scoreless second half from both sides saw the match end in a 1-1 draw.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 1, Mercyhurst – 1
LOCATION: Saxon Stadium – Erie, Pennsylvania
RECORDS: NKU: 0-0-1 (0-0-0 HL), MU: 0-0-1 (0-0-0 NEC)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
–
Megan Molner put the first goal of the 2025 season into the back of the net for the Norse, capitalizing on a great pass ahead from
Riley Evans. It was Molner's third career goal and first since 2023, while Evans' assist was a career first.
– NKU outshot Mercyhurst 15-12 (10-6) on the match, as
Kylie Anderson and Molner both recorded a pair of shots on goal in the match.
– Northern Kentucky also won the corner battle, 6-4.
– Norse keeper
Megan Gessner recorded five saves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
– Molner's early goal came in the 11th minute of the match, just a few minutes after an offside call derailed a Norse scoring opportunity.
– Mercyhurst drew level in the 24th minute, pulling ahead on a penalty kick goal that pulled the Lakers level.
– Northern Kentucky won the first half corner battle 4-2, but were outshot 4-5 in the half.
– NKU had multiple scoring opportunities at the start of the second half, with six shots and three on goal in the first fifteen minutes of play, but couldn't pull ahead. Both sides went back and forth in the remainder of the half as things ended in a one-all draw.
NEXT UP
Northern Kentucky's home opener is set for August 21st at NKU Soccer Stadium, as the Norse will take on Austin Peay at 4 PM.
FOLLOW NKU NORSE WOMEN'S SOCCER
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA Division I women's soccer team through @NKUNorseWSOC on Twitter, @NKUNorseWSOC on Instagram, nkunorsewsoc on Facebook and subscribe to the NKU Norse Youtube channel.
