The Northern Kentucky University women’s soccer team is set to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the Horizon League semifinals where the Norse will take on the second-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Engelmann Stadium. The match is set to air on ESPN3.
QUARTERFINAL RECAP: The Norse defeated the sixth-seeded Cleveland State Vikings, 1-0, at home on Monday to advance to the semifinal round. Senior Kelsey Laumann netted the game-winning header on a double assist from Macy Hamblin and Payton Naylor for the game’s lone goal. Goalkeeper Brooke Schocker posted three saves en route to her fifth solo shutout of the season.
ABOUT OAKLAND: The Golden Grizzlies claimed the second seed to earn a first-round bye after posting a 6-1-2 League record. Oakland ended the regular season on a nine-game unbeaten streak that included seven shutouts. The Oakland offense is led by the First Team All-League duo of Joan Sieja (13 points) and Alice Palmer (11 points). Sieja leads with seven assists while Palmer leads the squad in goals with five. Goalkeeper minutes have been split down the middle by Emily Zweng (873:05) and Alison Holland (872:14) with Zweng posting six shutouts with a team-high .926 save percentage and two goals allowed.
NORSE NOTES:
The 2015 campaign marks the second-straight season in which NKU has reached the semifinals of its conference tournament. The Norse defeated North Florida, 2-0, in the Atlantic Sun quarterfinals last season before falling to eventual champion Florida Gulf Coast in the semis. NKU’s Horizon League championship semifinal appearance also marks the second time that Northern Kentucky has advanced to the semis in the Division I era, which began in 2012.
Hamblin, a sophomore forward, was named Horizon League Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and was a First Team All-League selection while Jessica Frey (First Team All-League) and Taylor Spaulding (All-Freshman team) also received League honors. Hamblin has consistently led the League in multiple offensive categories throughout the season and owns a League-best 21 points (six goals, nine assists), a new Division I program record for the Norse. Frey trails closely with 20 points after a team-high seven goals and six assists. Spaulding has clocked 1,497 minutes out of a possible 1,580 to help NKU to seven shutouts and just 14 goals allowed this season.
Additionally, Frey received Horizon League Player of the Week honors on Monday after scoring a goal and posting an assist on the game-winner against Green Bay in the regular season finale. The weekly honor was the second of the season for Frey as the sophomore also earned recognition on Aug. 24 after scoring three goals in NKU’s season-opening weekend. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native has also received College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District recognition this season and has been tabbed as a College Soccer 360 primetime performer.
The Norse are looking to avenge a 1-0 loss to the Golden Grizzlies earlier this season. The Norse are 0-3 against Oakland all-time, with the most recent meeting coming on Oct. 21. The defensive battle remained scoreless until Oakland’s Palmer found the back of the net in the 72nd minute on an assist from Sieja. Oakland defeated NKU 2-0 in 2012 and 2-1 in 2013 as the Norse look for their first victory over the Golden Grizzlies.
NKU owns a 9-1 record when scoring first. All but two of NKU’s victories have come when the Norse are the first to score. The only time NKU has relinquished a lead this season came in the regular-season meeting with Cleveland State when the Vikings netted a golden goal with 21 seconds left in double overtime. Despite scoring first in 10 of its matches, NKU has scored 20 second half goals compared to 12 in the opening frame.
The Northern Kentucky back line has proven strong for the Norse all season, allowing 14 goals across 17 games. As a team, the Norse have allowed 0.82 goals per game, the second-best in the League behind Milwaukee (0.71). Schocker, a junior goalkeeper, anchors the defense with a .817 save percentage, which ranks fourth in the League. Defenders Maria Silbersack (1,505 minutes) and Spaulding (1,497 minutes) have played virtually every minute for NKU to help Schocker post the fifth-most shutouts in a single season in program history (five), and the third most career shutouts in program history (nine).
UP NEXT: With a win, NKU will advance to the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 7 to take on the winner of the Milwaukee/Wright State semifinal. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN3.
NKU women picked eighth in Horizon League poll
The Northern Kentucky University women’s basketball team was picked eighth in the Horizon League preseason poll, the league office announced on Wednesday.
The Norse received 134 points in the poll, which was voted on by League coaches, administrators and media members. Eleven-time Horizon League champion Green Bay was again picked as the League favorite, garnering 25 first-place votes and 302 points in the poll. Green Bay has won each of the last two League titles and will play host to the League Championship for the seventh consecutive year in March.
”As we look forward to our new beginning in the Horizon League, our young ladies are preparing diligently for the challenges that lie ahead and we are excited to get the season started,” said head coach Dawn Plitzuweit, who enters her fourth season on the bench at NKU.
Wright State finished second in the poll, taking four first place votes, while UIC, Youngstown State and Oakland rounded out the top half of the poll. Additionally, UIC’s Ruvanna Campbell was named the Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year.
The Norse return almost 70 percent of the point scorers from a 2014-15 team that finished 19-14, reached the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Finals and earned a spot in the Women’s Basketball Invitational for the third consecutive year.
Christine Roush was an A-Sun Second-Team selection last year, averaging 12.5 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting from the floor. She was NKU’s top free-throw shooter at 87.8 percent and had the best FT percentage of any returning Horizon League player this year. Roush also leads all NKU returners in rebounding with 4.2 per game.
Roush will be bolstered in the backcourt by Rianna Gayheart, who dished out 3.8 assists per contest to lead the Norse along with scoring 5.8 points per game. Kelley Wiegman also returns for her junior season after netting six points per game and pulling down 2.7 boards.
In the front court, sophomore Kasey Uetrecht will stand as one of the Horizon League’s top returning shooters, connecting on 45 percent of her shots last year while averaging 5.1 points off the bench. Also a threat from long range, Uetrecht also knocked down 45.5 percent of her 3-point attempts, tops among returning Horizon League players. Fellow sophomore Molly Franson as well as junior transfer Rebecca Lyttle are also expected to make big contributions for the Norse.
NKU returns to the court on Nov. 13, on the road against Miami (Ohio). Tip off at Millett Hall for the Friday contest is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. NKU’s home opener will take place on Nov. 15 as the Norse welcome Indiana State to BB&T Arena for a 1 p.m. tip. For ticket information, visit NorseTickets.com.
From NKU Athletics