HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team will begin the season at 1 p.m. Saturday against the University of Findlay in the John Toebben Labor Day Weekend Classic at the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky.
The John Toebben Labor Day Weekend Classic is named after the former NKU men’s soccer head coach who passed away last spring. Toebben spent 13 years as NKU’s head coach and won three Great Lakes Valley Conference championships.
NKU posted a 6-10-2 record last season, and the Norse are under the direction of first-year head coach John Basalyga. As the head coach at Turpin High School in Cincinnati, Basalyga won 325 games in 24 years and led the Spartans to three state championships.
NKU will also meet Saginaw Valley State University at 4 p.m. Sunday.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS: Findlay posted an 8-5-4 record a year ago, while Saginaw Valley State finished 8-10-1.
ABOUT THE NORSE: NKU returns 11 letterwinners from last season, but the Norse lose four of their top five scorers. Senior Jeremy Robertson scored four goals a year ago and is NKU’s top returning offensive threat.
Freshmen such as Tony Cullum and Chris Thompson could earn an opportunity to provide offense, as could returning letterwinners Tony Segreti and Randy Walters.
TOUGH DEFENSE: The NKU defense will feature senior Kyle Winkler and sophomore David Lies, a duo that will anchor the Norse’s flat-four zone defense. NKU also returns senior defender Ben Otto, sophomore midfielder Kevin Holder and senior defender Bobby Pifer.
In goal, junior Nate Madden returns after finishing 2002 with a 1.60 goals against average.
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John Basalyga |