Kristen Votapek

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s soccer team plays host to Southern Illinois at Edwardsville this Friday at 5 p.m., and the winner of that contest will likely be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.

NKU and SIUE are tied atop the GLVC standings with 8-1 records. The Norse have won seven consecutive games entering Friday’s contest at Wilder, Ky., and are 11-2 overall.

SIUE had its 10-game winning streak snapped by Wisconsin-Parkside last Sunday and is 12-3 overall.

NKU owns a 43-1-4 record against GLVC opponents at the Town & Country Sports Complex since moving its home games to the Wilder facility in 1998. The Norse’s only loss to a GLVC team at the Town & Country Sports Complex came on Oct. 3, 1998, when SIUE posted a 1-0 victory over NKU.

A year ago, NKU and SIUE split two meetings. The Cougars defeated NKU in the regular-season contest, 2-0, at Edwardsville, Ill. The Norse, however, eliminated SIUE from the GLVC Tournament with a 2-0 victory at Kenosha, Wis.

Kristen Votapek scored a goal and added two assists last Sunday as NKU posted a 5-0 victory over Missouri-Rolla. Alex Armstrong and Catie Walton each added a goal and an assist for NKU.

Votapek, a senior forward, leads the GLVC in scoring with 11 goals and 10 assists. Votapek and Norse freshman Alex Armstrong each have three game-winning goals and are tied for second place in the GLVC in that category.

NKU junior Amy Law is second on the team in scoring with seven goals and six assists, while freshman Lauren Franzen is third on the squad with seven goals and five assists. Law and Franzen are tied for 10th in the GLVC in goal per game at 0.54.

During its seven-game winning streak, NKU has outscored the opposition by a 28-3 margin with four shutouts. The Norse lead the GLVC in scoring at 3.77 goals per game. NKU is also No. 1 in defense, having allowed just nine goals in 13 games (0.69 gpg.).

NKU will play host to Quincy at noon Sunday in the regular-season home finale. The five Norse seniors - Votapek, Sam Westerling, Katie Hanck, Amy Martini and Ashley McGuffey - will be recognized at halftime of Sunday’s game.