With their Horizon League Men’s Championship seeding on the line, the Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team travels to League foe Milwaukee for its regular season finale on Friday with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. (ET).
Links to live stats for the match are available at NKUNorse.com.
Milwaukee enters the match following a 1-0 loss to Detroit last Saturday. The Panthers carry an overall record of 4-10-3 with a 1-5-2 mark in the Horizon League. Delan Rodriguez leads Milwaukee offensively with 10 points on four goals and two assists. Panther goalkeeper Agustin Rey has allowed 20 goals, hauled in 51 saves and carries a goals-against-average of 1.12.
The only meeting between the Norse (8-5-4, 4-1-3 Horizon League) and Panthers (4-10-3, 1-5-2 Horizon League) happened on Aug. 26, 2012 at Milwaukee. The Norse opened the scoring in the match on a first half goal from Mohammed Salhieh. In the second frame, the Panthers’s Declan Rodriguez headed home the equalizer in the 58th minute. Following a handball by the Norse inside the 18-yard box, Milwaukee’s Laurie Bell got the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the 76th minute.
The Norse have qualified for their first Horizon League Men’s Championship in their first year in the new league. This marks the second year in a row the Norse have qualified for a post-season berth. Last year, Northern Kentucky qualified for its first-ever Division I post-season tournament grabbing the sixth seed in the 2014 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
The top-six in the final standings advance to the Horizon League Men’s Championship, with the No 1. and No. 2 seed receiving a quarterfinal round bye, and the No. 1 seed hosting the semifinal (11/12) and final rounds (11/14). The third and fourth seeds would each host a quarterfinal match (11/9) at campus sites against the fifth and sixth seeds.
UIC leads the standings with 20 points and has locked up the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Northern Kentucky currently owns the No. 2 seed with 15 points followed by Wright State and Oakland who have 13 points each. A win for the Norse over Milwaukee on Friday guarantees the Norse the second seed. If the Norse lose or tie against the Panthers, the outcome of the Wright State and Oakland match, also set for Friday, would determine if the Norse stay at the No. 2 or fall to the No. 3 seed.
The Norse fell to Evansville in their first meeting 4-0 on Tuesday night. Nate Opperman, Desmond Dolphy, Mark Gonzales recorded goals in the contest.
The Norse will begin play in the Horizon League Men’s Championship next week. If the Norse stay at the No. 2 seed they will receive a quarterfinal bye and play in a semifinal match on Thursday, Nov. 12, against a to be determined opponent.
If NKU falls to the No. 3 seed, it will host a quarterfinal match against the No. 6 seed on Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m.
From NKU Athletics