The No. 3 seeded Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team (8-6-4, 5-3-1 Horizon League) will play host to League rival and No. 6 seed Wright State on Monday in a quarterfinal match-up in the squad’s first-ever Horizon League Men’s Championship.
The match will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at the NKU Soccer Stadium. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth. Students from Horizon League member schools will receive free admission with their student I.D.
This will be the 12th meeting all-time between Northern Kentucky and Wright State dating back to 1982. The Raiders enter the match coming off a 2-0 loss to League foe Oakland to close out the regular season, moving Wright State to the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championship.
The Raiders have compiled a record of 10-7-1 with League mark of 4-4-1. Peguy Ngatcha leads Wright State offensively with 15 points on six goals and three assists. Goalkeeper Tyler Blackmer enters the match with a goals-against average of 1.05, with 19 goals allowed and 61 saves.
The Norse defeated Wright State 1-0 in double overtime on Sept. 22, earning their first-ever Horizon League victory. Diego Martinez netted the Golden Goal unassisted to secure the win. Norse goalkeeper A.J. Fleak recorded his fourth shutout of the season, finishing the match with eight saves on 22 shots faced.
The last two matches between NKU and Wright State have both progressed to overtime with the Norse winning both.
This marks the second-straight year that Northern Kentucky has qualified for their post-season conference tournament since becoming eligible in 2014. This is also the first time the Norse will host a quarterfinal round since moving to Division I in 2012. Last year playing in the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament, the Norse earned the No. 6 seed defeating Stetson 1-0 in the quarterfinal for their first-ever Division I post-season victory.
UIC (No. 1 seed), Oakland (No. 2 seed), Northern Kentucky (No. 3 seed), Detroit (No. 4 seed), Cleveland State (No. 5 seed) and Wright State (No. 6 seed) are all in the hunt for a Horizon League title. In the other quarterfinal match set for Monday, Detroit takes on Cleveland State.
The lowest seeded team to advance will face No. 1 seed and semifinal/final host UIC, with the highest seeded team to advance facing No. 2 seed Oakland. The winners from the semifinal round will play for the Horizon League championship on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The Norse fell at Milwaukee 4-0 on Friday in their regular season finale. Declan Rodriguez, Francesco Saporito and Peter Raymonds all scored goals for the Panthers in the win.
If the Norse advance past Wright State they will face No. 2 seed Oakland in Chicago, with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
Laumann, Newton named to Horizon All-Tourney team
Senior forward Kelsey Laumann and junior midfielder Katelyn Newton of Northern Kentucky women’s soccer were named to the Horizon League All-Tournament team after helping NKU advance to the semifinals, the League office announced following Oakland’s championship victory over Wright State.
In the quarterfinal round at NKU Soccer Stadium, Laumann, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, netted the game-winning goal to lift NKU over Cleveland State. The senior and team captain clocked 122 total minutes of action during NKU’s tournament run and scored the Norse’s lone penalty kick against Oakland.
“Kelsey has been a model student-athlete in her time at NKU. In the Horizon League tournament, she scored the game-winner on a back-post header in the quarterfinal round,” head coach Bob Sheehan said. “In our semifinal draw with Oakland, as she has all season, Kelsey contributed on both sides of the ball, offensively by being a key part of the attack, and defensively by helping to neutralize our opponent. We are very proud of Kelsey and she has provided outstanding leadership in building the culture of the program as we have transitioned to Division I.”
Newton, who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, played every minute of NKU’s tournament matches to lead NKU as it shut out both opponents it faced.
“Katelyn is an extremely coachable member of the team, and that combined with intensity and commitment all lend themselves to her being a critical component of the team all season and especially in postseason play. She is the proverbial workhouse in the middle of the field and is one of those rare players who seem to have more energy as the game wears on,” Sheehan added. “She had important defensive responsibilities and excelled in this role while serving as an integral part of building a championship team culture.”
The duo contributed to NKU’s advancement to the semifinal round of the Horizon League tournament in the squad’s first year as a member of the League. The 2015 campaign marked the second-straight year the Norse advanced to the postseason, as NKU also posted its winningest Division I campaign at 11-5-2 overall.
All-Tournament Team:
Cassidy Blanchard, Milwaukee
Maria Stephans, Milwaukee
Katelyn Newton, Northern Kentucky
Kelsey Laumann, Northern Kentucky
Ashley Gogolin, Wright State
Niki Romero, Wright State
Aaliyah Patten, Wright State
Sarah Reynolds, Oakland
Jamie Horne, Oakland
Emily Zweng, Oakland
Joan Sieja, Oakland (Tournament MVP)
From NKU Athletics