 |
By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - An NCAA Great Lakes Region championship in 2006 may be the best finish in Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer history, but losing that last game – a 2-1 setback against Lincoln Memorial in the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals - still hurts. The Norse are hoping to avoid that fate in 2007 and ride their cohesion and experience to another region championship, and perhaps all the way to a national championship. “Those guys played a year ahead of themselves,” said fifth-year NKU head coach John Basalyga. “Nine of this year’s seniors were starting on this team as freshmen.” They were a highly honored group as well. Senior defenders Andy Bacon and Dan Impellizzeri took home second team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honors. Forward Braden Bishop, NKU’s leading scorer with 12 goals and 27 points in 2006, was named to the All-Great Lakes Region first team as well and tabbed the GLVC Freshman of the Year. Goalkeeper Andy Ortman also earned first team All-Region honors. Midfielder Tony Capurro, who had two goals in NKU’s 3-2 win over Southern Illinois at Edwardsville for the regional championship, ended up a second team All-American. And don’t forget Basalyga, who was named Coach of the Year by the GLVC and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. “We’ve got everybody back from last year’s squad,” Basalyga said. “It’s not like we’ll be sneaking up on anybody. Everyone out there knows who we are and what we can do.” And what the Norse have always done well is play defense. Since Basalyga took over the program in 2003, NKU has continued to rank among the best in the nation in every defensive category. Last year, Ortman finished in the top 10 nationally in save percentage (.833) and goals against average (0.54). As a team, the Norse posted a 0.57 goals against average, ranking fifth nationally. They finished eighth in the nation after posting shutouts in 55 percent of their games. “Defense has always been our strength,” Basalyga said. “I don’t think there is a person out there who can beat Impellizzeri to the ball.” Impellizzeri, along with Capurro and Bacon, will captain the Norse in 2007, providing senior leadership and experience. “These are the guys, along with our other seniors, Kyle Roberts and Andy Ortman and the rest, that we’ve built this team around,” Basalyga said of his leaders, “and we hope they’ll have their best seasons as seniors.”
Forwards Chris Thompson, who notched four game-winners in 2006, and Chad Cook, who tallied three goals last year, and goalkeeper Jeremy Curington round out the 2007 senior class, but not one of them is assured of seeing the field. Not yet. “No one’s job is safe,” Basalyga said of the internal competition. “Our guys have to stay fit, have to be ready to play every day. In a conference like the GLVC, all it takes is one injury to go from great to average.” And so it goes in the largest soccer conference in Division II. With a 13-game league slate making way for just five non-conference contests, the Norse will take on four regional opponents. West Virginia Wesleyan and Truman State will come in for the fifth annual John Toebben Classic presented by National City, while the Norse will travel to Findlay and Tiffin. NKU will host Ashland in its final non-conference game on Sept. 14. When asked what the toughest game on his schedule was, Basalyga simply replied, “The first one. And then the second one. And then the third one. And so on. When you play in a league with the likes of Quincy, Lewis, Rockhurst, (Missouri-St. Louis), Wisconsin-Parkside and SIUE, you can’t help but have a competitive schedule. And our guys know that there isn’t a night off at all in our table.” The tough GLVC games begin early in the season. After playing their first four games out-of-conference, the Norse will host Lewis and Wisconsin-Parkside Sept. 7 and 9, respectively. A tough road win against Lewis proved to be a turning point in the season for the Norse, while NKU faced off with Parkside three times in 2006, going 2-0-1 in the matchups. While many of the Norse will be familiar with the old rivalries, there are some new faces on the NKU roster as well. Twin brothers Michael and Matthew Lavric, a talented duo from Gahanna, Ohio, will join the Norse. Michael has the distinction of being the Ohio Player of the Year as named by the NSCAA. “Michael is 6-4, and Matt is 5-10, so I’m not sure how they’re twins,” Basalyga laughed. “But they both come from a great program up in the Columbus area, and we’re glad they’re here.” Matthew played as a forward at Lincoln High School, where he was a lightning-quick goal scorer. Michael served as the goalkeeper for the team, setting an Ohio state record with 17 consecutive shutouts. Steven Beattie also joins the Norse from Dublin, Ireland. “He was the top player on his club team when we saw him in Memphis. A lot of schools here in the States were after him,” Basalyga said. Beattie was described as being comparable to Tony Capurro, a hard-nosed player who is always on the ball. The final piece of the puzzle was on the sideline, where Sam Miller will join the Norse as an assistant coach. Miller was a standout defender at Cincinnati and played professionally for the Cincinnati Kings of the United Soccer League. Basalyga is also very familiar with Miller. When Basalyga was head coach at Turpin High School, Miller would often be seen on the other side of the field playing for rival Anderson. Among the standout returning underclassmen stands junior Tony Ray, who, along with Impellizzeri, led the Norse with seven assists from his role on the left wing, feeding the likes of Thompson and Bishop. Sophomore forward Alex Allison displayed an excellent two-way game last season and looks to contribute again this season. Among the NKU defense, which allowed fewer than 80 shots on goal in 22 games last season, juniors Eric Ashworth and Tom Shriner will challenge for time. All the while, the Norse will stand up to the giants of college soccer once again, with the expectation to once again be the best..
|
