-
4
Winner Northern Ky. NKU (1-0-0, 0-0-0)
1
Austin Peay APSU (0-1-0, 0-0-0)
Winner
Northern Ky. NKU
(1-0-0, 0-0-0)
4
Final
1
Austin Peay APSU
(0-1-0, 0-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northern Ky. NKU 1 3 4
Austin Peay APSU 1 0 1

Game Recap: Women's Soccer |

Molner records hat trick, Norse win big in season opener

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Northern Kentucky University Norse women's soccer opened the 2026 season on Wednesday morning, taking on Austin Peay. 

The Norse got ahead early, as Megan Molner scored in the sixth minute to give NKU a 1-0 lead, but the Governors equalized in the 18th. The 1-1 score held until the halftime whistle. 



In the second half, the Norse drew a penalty kick in the 60th minute, which Molner scored off the rebound to take a 2-1 lead. The Norse immediately got a corner kick off the restart, which Emma Gianino took and whipped a perfect back-post ball in to Molner, who completed the hat trick and gave the Norse a 3-1 lead. NKU did well to defend in the remainder of the second half and scored a fourth on a great dribble from Erykah Cornett, who set up Ayla Conn for her first career goal. 





THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Northern Kentucky – 4, Austin Peay – 1
LOCATION: Morgan Bros. Field - Clarksville, Tenn. 
RECORDS: NKU: 1-0-0 (0-0-0 HL), APSU: 0-1-0 (0-0-0 UAC)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– Megan Molner netted the first three goals for the Norse, on seven total shot attempts and six on goal. She logged 77 minutes of action in the match.
– Ayla Conn tallied a goal on her only shot attempt of the match, playing 34 minutes off the bench. 
– Erykah Cornett recorded a pair of assists in the match, setting up NKU's first and fourth goals. She also attempted four shots in 83 minutes of action.
– Emma Gianino notched her first assist as a Norse, also logging a shot attempt. 
– Donna Bundy made four saves in her start between the sticks. She also earned a second assist on NKU's first goal in 90 minutes of action. 

NORSE NOTES
– Molner's hat trick marked the first by a Norse since the team joined Division I, and the first in the program since Allison Ponzer did it on October 7, 2011, vs. Saint Joseph's. 
– It stands as the first hat trick in the Horizon League since Oakland's Brae Cole scored three against Mercyhurst on August 21, 2025. 
– With the match being the first played of the 2026 NCAA Women's Soccer season, her hat trick also marked the first by any player in 2026. 
– Molner's six points also marked a new single-game record in the Division I era for the Norse, as five marked the previous single-game high. It's the most by a Norse player in a single match since both Allison Ponzer and Amanda Mason did it on October 7, 2011, vs. Saint Joseph's. 
– The win marked NKU's first in a road opener since February 10, 2021, when the Norse took down Robert Morris in a season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Northern Kentucky went on to win the Horizon League regular season championship in the Spring 2021 campaign. 
– Northern Kentucky moved to 2-0 all-time against Austin Peay. The Norse took down the Governors in the school's first-ever matchup in 2025. 

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.
 
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