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By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team will kick off its Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule Friday night by hosting Lewis at the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder. Both teams enter the contest with 4-0 records and each squad is nationally ranked. The Norse are No. 3 in the NCAA Division II national poll, the highest ranking in the team’s history. They vaulted two places last week after a 4-1 victory over Findlay followed by a come-from-behind 2-1 decision against Tiffin. The 16th-ranked Flyers, however, are accustomed to major challenges, having already beaten then-No. 5 Lincoln Memorial by a 3-2 score to break into the national rankings. Lewis comes off a 10-goal weekend after defeating Upper Iowa, 8-0, and Northwood (Mich.), 2-0. NKU is led by sophomore Braden Bishop, who has tallied at least one goal in six of his last seven games dating back to last season’s Great Lakes Regional Tournament. He leads the Norse with five goals and 11 points on the season. Seniors Dan Impellizzeri and Andy Bacon continue to keep opposing scorers from penetrating the NKU backfield, which has allowed just six shots on goal in four games. Last season, the two teams met in Romeoville as the Norse came away with a 2-1 overtime victory over the 15th-ranked Flyers on a goal by Chris Thompson. The win catapulted the Norse into the national rankings and continued into what eventually became a 14-game unbeaten streak en route to a Great Lakes Region championship. NKU concludes the weekend by hosting No. 12 Wisconsin-Parkside on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. |
