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By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information WILDER, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region championship game with a 5-2 victory over Gannon on Friday. The Norse opened the scoring in the 10th minute after Tony Capurro took a through pass from Steven Beattie and shot from right-to-left to net his third goal of the season. Gannon answered just four minutes later when Geneo Oberst sent a steady pass ahead to John Connelly. Connelly's shot from 16 yards out beat NKU goalkeeper Michael Lavric to the left post to equalize the game. It was his first goal of the season. From
that point it was all NKU, as the Norse scored four goals over
the next 32 minutes. Steven Beattie netted two, the first coming
in the 18th minute off a Nick Dressman rebound, and the second
in the 38th Braden Bishop, the Daktronics Great Lakes Region Player of the Year, picked up a pair of goals as well. His 15th of the season came in the 33rd minute as the sophomore finished off a play started by Chris Thompson and Dan Impellizzeri. Bishop scored again just five minutes into the second half after a takeaway from the Gannon defense. Gannon got on the board once more in the second half thanks to Chad Wynter's fifth goal of the season, a header off a corner kick play in the 76th minute. Lavric, starting his fourth consecutive game, made one save in the victory, as NKU outshot the Knights 21-12. Andy Ortman played 15 minutes of relief and made one save. Northern Kentucky (21-1) advances to face Southern Illinois at Edwardsville in the Great Lakes Region championship. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. |
