---GLVC Offensive Player of the Year Braden Bishop has scored four goals in NKU's last four games.

By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – It has been 12 years since Northern Kentucky University last hosted the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament in men’s soccer.

It has been the same 12 years since the Norse last won the GLVC Tournament.

The GLVC Tournament semifinals will begin Friday night, with the top-seeded Norse hosting No. 5 Rockhurst at 7:30 p.m. at Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder. The No. 7 seed Indianapolis, which shocked No. 2 Southern Illinois at Edwardsville in a penalty-kick shootout in the quarterfinals, will face No. 3 Lewis at 5 p.m.

NKU took a 3-0 decision against No. 8 seed Wisconsin-Parkside in the GLVC Tournament quarterfinal match on Sunday. Steven Beattie, Braden Bishop and Tony Capurro each netted goals as the Norse outshot the Rangers, 29-3. Rockhurst advanced over No. 4 seed Quincy, needing a 5-3 shootout result after 110 minutes could not produce a winner.

The Norse and the Hawks are not strangers to each other, having faced off just two weeks ago in Kansas City, Mo., with NKU taking the 2-1 decision off goals from Bishop and Jorge Villalba. The game was a physical one, with the Norse getting hit for five bookings in the contest, including a send-off to Kyle Roberts.

Rockhurst has dominated the all-time series, however, holding a 5-2-1 record against the Norse.

The GLVC champion will be determined Sunday at 1 p.m. in the tournament finals.

BISHOP TAKES GOAL, CHECKMATE: Bishop, the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year, continues to have a banner year, with 14 goals now scored on the season, and four in NKU’s last four games. He leads the Norse with 34 points and five game-winning markers. Bishop is ranked nationally in points (34th) and goals (36th) per game.

---The NKU defense has taken much pressure off of the shoulders of its goalkeepers. Michael Lavric and Andy Ortman have combined to make 37 saves on the season.

IRISH EYES ARE SMILING: Steven Beattie, a native of Dublin, Ireland, had an outstanding performance in the GLVC quarterfinals, picking up a goal and an assist against UW-Parkside in the 3-0 victory. Beattie was honored last week with a third-team All-GLVC nod.

LAVRIC LEADS THE WAY: Freshman goalkeeper Michael Lavric, who has split time this season with senior Andy Ortman, has broken into the NCAA statistical rankings and leads the nation with a 0.101 goals against average and a .963 save percentage. A goalkeeper must play 50 percent of his team’s minutes to qualify for the national statistical rankings.

NOT JUST THE KEEPERS: The Norse defense, despite ranking dead last in the GLVC in saves made, leads the nation in goals allowed average (0.31) and shutout percentage (0.74, 14 shutouts in 19 games). The NKU backs, including GLVC Defensive Player of the Year Andy Bacon, first-team All-GLVC honoree Dan Impellizzeri and second-team member Eric Ashworth, have allowed just 118 shot attempts in 19 games, an average of 6.2 shots per game. Only 40 of those, or just over two per game, have been on-goal opportunities.

APPROACHING A MILESTONE: Friday’s semifinal contest will be head coach John Basalyga’s 99th game on the NKU bench. He has amassed a 63-26-10 record in his five seasons with the Norse for a .673 winning percentage.