Alex Armstrong netted her 10th goal

WILDER, Ky. - Jayme Light and Alex Armstrong each scored goals as the Northern Kentucky University women’s soccer team captured the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship Sunday with a 2-0 win over Southern Illinois at Edwardsville at the Town & Country Sports Complex.

Kristen Votapek added an assist as the top-seeded Norse (18-2-0) extended their winning streak to 14. NKU goalie Sam Westerling recorded the shutout and had two saves as the Norse won the GLVC title for the sixth time in the past eight years.

NKU won five consecutive GLVC Tournament championships from 1998-2002, but the Norse finished as runner-up in that event the past two years to Wisconsin-Parkside.

Light began the scoring Sunday at the 39:54 mark by finding the back of the net with her seventh goal of the season off a corner kick from Votapek. It was the 17th assist of the season for Votapek, who on Saturday was named the GLVC Player of the Year.

Armstrong, who was named GLVC Freshman of the Year on Saturday, sealed the win for NKU at the 62:32 mark by drilling a 22-yard shot past SIUE goalie Kim Roady for her 10th goal of the season. SIUE (17-5-0) finished with a 9-5 advantage in total shots, but the Cougars were unable to find the back of the net against the NKU defense.

During its current 14-game winning streak, NKU has allowed just six goals and posted eight shutouts. The Norse have outscored the opposition by a 73-12 margin this season.

NKU is now 48-1-4 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.

The Norse are No. 1 in the latest NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region rankings. NKU is expected to be the top seed when the pairings are announced Monday, and the Norse will play host to the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament Nov. 11-13.

Grand Valley State, SIUE and Wheeling Jesuit are also expected to receive berths in the Great Lakes Region Tournament. The winner of the Great Lakes Region will advance to the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals Nov. 19 or 20 to play a road game at the winner of the Central Region.

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