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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky University is one win away from advancing to the NCAA Division II Final Four in men’s soccer, and the Norse will attempt to earn their first-ever trip to that event at 1 p.m. Sunday when Lincoln Memorial visits the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky. NKU enters Sunday’s national quarterfinals with a 16-2-3 record and is ranked 14th nationally. Lincoln Memorial is 14-1-3 and is ranked 16th nationally. Ticket prices for Sunday are $8 for general admission, and $5 for senior citizens and students. The winner of Sunday’s contest advances to the NCAA Division II Final Four, which will be held Nov. 16-18 at Pensacola, Fla. The NKU/Lincoln Memorial survivor plays either Fort Lewis or Seattle in the NCAA Division II Final Four on Nov. 16. The national championship game is slated Nov. 18. ON A ROLL: NKU has a 14-game unbeaten streak going into Sunday and is 12-0-2 during that stretch. The Norse have not lost since Sept. 15, when Missouri-Rolla posted a 2-1 win over NKU at Wilder. SCORING MACHINE: NKU freshman Braden Bishop leads NKU with 11 goals. Bishop scored the winning goal in overtime during the regional championship game against top-seeded Southern Illinois at Edwardsville last Saturday night. Bishop, a graduate of Centerville High School, earned Great Lakes Valley Conference Freshman of the Year honors this fall. DEFENSE RULES: NKU has allowed just 11 goals the entire season. Norse junior goalie Andy Ortman has recorded 12 shutouts and owns a 0.47 goals against average. NKU has outscored opponents 42-11 this season. ONE FOR THE RECORD: NKU tied the school record for wins during a season with its 16th triumph last Saturday. The 1995 team also won 16 games but did not advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament. NKU was 16-4-2 in 1995 and won the GLVC Tournament title. THE LAST TIME NKU MET LINCOLN MEMORIAL: On Aug. 27, 2005, Frederico Moojen scored three goals - including the winning tally 2:54 into the second overtime - as Lincoln Memorial rallied to stun NKU, 3-2, at the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky. Leonardo de Barros sent a corner kick into the box, where Moojen met the ball in the air and sent a header past NKU goalie Jeremy Curington for the winner at the 102:54 mark. The Railsplitters - who trailed 2-0 with 12 minutes remaining in regulation - ruined NKU’s season opener in the John Toebben Classic that evening. NKU took a 1-0 lead at the 32:36 mark when D.J. Ertel took a cross from Tony Ray and scored his first collegiate goal. The Norse increased their advantage to 2-0 in the 69th minute on freshman Jim Delaney’s first career goal. Moojen, however, chipped in an unassisted goal at the 78:52 mark to bring Lincoln Memorial within 2-1. He later tied the contest at 2-2 with a penalty kick in the 83rd minute after a foul in the penalty box. |
