Northern Kentucky University’s men’s soccer team (1-1-0) defeated Memphis (0-2-0) on Monday at Mike Rose Soccer Stadium to earn its first win of 2015.
Freshman Calvin Murphy netted the game winning goal, his first donning the Black and Gold.
After going scoreless for 63 minutes NKU broke the stalemate when Murphy found the net with an assist by Johannes Jansen. On a free kick just outside of the box to the right, Jansen whipped the ball in and Murphy headed it back for the score.
Following the Murphy goal, the NKU defense continued to play stiff holding the Tigers at bay. Norse goalkeeper A.J. Fleak earned his first clean sheet of the 2015 season notching eight saves in the match. The Sunbury, Ohio native now has 11 shutouts for his career as a Norse.
NKU finished the match taking nine shots, with four coming on goal, while tallying six corners. Memphis took 13 shots, with eight on goal, eight corners and three saves.
The first half of the match was a back and fourth defensive battle with the Norse taking three shots to Memphis’ four. Fleak notched two saves in the first frame, while Memphis goalkeeper Jake Leaker snared one.
The Norse return to action this weekend traveling to Oneonta, N.Y. for the Mayor’s Cup hosted by Hartwick College. Friday, NKU will face Saint Francis (Pa.) at 5 p.m., and then on Sunday the Norse will take the pitch against Bucknell at noon.
Norse Notes
– NKU last recorded a shutout on Nov. 12, 2014, versus Stetson in the Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Tournament, with Toby Frohlich in goal for the Norse.
– The last time an NKU keeper recorded eight or more saves was on Sept. 7, 2014, when Fleak hauled in nine saves against High Point.
– NKU is 9-7-2 all-time against teams from the American Athletic Conference.
NKU women’s golf team sets scoring mark
Despite setting a new 36-hole record, the Northern Kentucky women’s golf team settled for a share of second-place in the YSU Kickoff on Monday at the Candywood Golf Course in Vienna, Ohio.
“We played very consistently from top-to-bottom today,” said head coach Daryl Landrum. “This was a great start to the season.”
The Norse closed the two-round event shooting a combined 608 (303-305), eclipsing the previous school mark by three strokes. NKU previously shot 611 at the 2015 Jackrabbit Invitational and 2007 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship.
All four Norse that registered countable team scores finished in the top-9, with juniors Ryleigh Waltz (74-77) and Sarah Kellam (75-76) leading the way with totals of 151. The duo earned a share of fifth.
Allison Leigeb finished eighth at 76-76 (152) and Tara Clark tied for ninth with scores of 78-76 (154).
Sirapassorn Cheepborisut and Shelby Power notched identical totals, posting rounds of 77-78 (155) each. Freshman Macy Wright displayed an ability to shoot low in the first round of her collegiate career, responding from an opening round 83 with a team-best-tying 74 in the second round.
MacKenzie Laumann (159), Taylor Schwarz (160) and Kristen Smith (168) also competed for the Norse.
NKU will be back on the course in two weeks, when it plays host to Dayton at Elk Run Country Club in Batavia, Ohio, on Sept. 13-14.
NKU women’s soccer places five on Nike Challenge 1 All-Tournament Team
Northern Kentucky’s Macy Hamblin, Kelsey Laumann, Aubrey Muench, Katelyn Newton and Taylor Spaulding were named to the Nike Challenge 1 All-Tournament Team, tournament co-hosts Charleston Southern and The Citadel.
In addition to being named to the All-Tournament Team, Hamblin was named the Nike Challenge 1 MVP after scoring a goal and dishing out an assist against the Bulldogs on Friday. The sophomore forward also collected 11 total shots and five shots on goal between NKU’s pair of matches.
Laumann helped Hamblin pace the NKU offense and saw 141 minutes of action over the weekend. The redshirt senior fired three shots, one on goal.
Muench was named to the team after netting a pair of goals, including the eventual game-winner, off the bench on Friday against The Citadel, while Newton scored the game-winner on Sunday against the Buccaneers to hand NKU its 1-0 victory.
Spaulding, a freshman, rounded out NKU’s All-Tournament Team selections, anchoring the NKU defense and logging a team-high 169 total minutes on the pitch to help post a pair of shutouts.
The tournament, which took place over the weekend, featured NKU, The Citadel, Charleston Southern and Stetson as NKU defeated The Citadel and Charleston Southern by scores of 4-0 and 1-0, respectively.
The undefeated Norse (4-0) return to action on Friday, Sept. 4 when they host crosstown rival Xavier (2-2) at NKU Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN3.
From NKU Athletics