The Northern Kentucky University Norse men’s soccer team (3-4 overall) knocked off the Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastodons, 3-0 on Saturday to even their Horizon League record to 1-1 overall.
NKU graduate student goalkeeper Daniel Bermingham saved the one Mastadon shot on goal in his third game back.
Junior midfielder/forward Deryn Armstrong scored his second goal of the season in the 22nd minute and senior Ryan Gooding had an assist.
Senior forward Brodie Sallows scored his second goal 44 minutes into the game. Freshman midfielder Christian Sjolander and senior midfielder Craig Wellens had assists.
Senior midfielder/forward Ben Hegge (Loveland, Ohio/Moeller) scored the third goal for the Norse off a corner kick in the 76th minute. That is Hegge’s second goal this year.
NKU lost its home game Monday, 3-1 to the 25th-ranked Xavier Musketeers at the NKU Soccer Stadium.
The Norse fell Monday to #25 Xavier, 3-1.
The Musketeers scored 13 minutes into the game before the Norse tied it 22 minutes into the game. Hegge found sophomore midfielder Simon Knuewe to tie the game for the Norse. That marked the second goal for Knuewe and first assist for Hegge.
But the Musketeers scored twice in the final eight minutes of the game. Bermingham made eight saves.
The Norse hit the road twice this week. They travel to Western Illinois on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. game, then go to Wright State on Saturday for a 7 p.m. game.
Volleyball
The Norse (2-9) enter Horizon League play on a strong note taking down the defending Mid-American Conference champion Ball State Cardinals, 3-2 on Friday in the Stacey Clark Classic.
“We’ve been getting better every week,” said Liz Hart, Norse head coach. “We were able to put it all together and had several players with multiple kills and did a really good job serving. We missed a few (serves). But we stayed aggressive. We were able to get them out of system.”
Graduate student and outside hitter Anna Brinkmann had her fifth double-double of the season with 16 digs and 19 kills. Senior outside/right side hitter Reilly Briggs had a .348 hitting percentage to lead the way with a career-high 20 kills to go with four blocks.
Senior defensive specialist Anna Burke posted a ninth straight match with 10 or more digs to go with eight assists. She has 193 this season and 840 for her career. Sophomore libero Lucy Cluxton added 12 digs.
“It’s definitely a great team win,” Brinkmann said. “The ball was spread out a lot, which was great. Anna and Lucy (Cluxton) did a great job in the back row. They picked up a lot of balls for us. Anna had 28 digs, which was insane. I think we worked really hard in practice to prepare for these teams and it really showed.”
Junior setter Torie Houston had a fifth straight match with 20 or more assists with 24 assists to go with 11 digs and freshman Madison Tracy posted a career-high 29 assists to go with nine digs. Redshirt senior Abby Kanakry had 12 kills and three blocks.
On Thursday, NKU lost 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-12) to the Purdue Boilermakers, ranked 10th in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association poll.
Of the nine losses, four have come against four teams ranked in the top 25 of the AVCA Division I poll. The Norse have lost twice to 21st-ranked Western Kentucky and third-ranked Louisville.
“The schedule is very challenging. We have a ton of returners. We’re right there,” Hart said. “We get better every single week and so that’s good. The girls want it. There is still a lot of volleyball left. Playing hard teams, you know what you need to work on each week and we’re going to be fully ready for Horizon League competition.”
NKU heads north to take on Oakland University on Friday to open Horizon League action at 6 p.m. The Norse then play at Cleveland State at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Women’s Soccer
The Norse (0-5-1) opened up Horizon League Play with a 2-0 loss at Detroit Mercy giving up one goal in each half.
Junior goalkeeper Mickayla Kowalski had seven saves keeping the Norse within striking distance.
The Norse are still looking for their first goal this season. They’ve been outscored 10-0 in six games.
NKU plays host to Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis on Thursday. Game time is 7 p.m.
Women’s and Men’s Cross Country
Both teams participated in the Michigan State Invitational at Forest Akers East Golf Course on Friday. The women took 13th with 349 points and the men took 15th with 383.
Senior Megan Cole (Versailles, Indiana/South Ripley) led the women taking 33rd in 22 minutes, 38.17 seconds. Fifth-year Simon Kenton alum Kyle Mastin led the men taking 28th in 25:26.9.
NKU has the week off before running in the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 1 at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park. The NCAA Division I National Championships took place there in 2012, 2015 and 2017.
Men’s Golf
The Norse took seventh in the two-day Joe Feaganes Marshall Invitational that concluded Tuesday at the Guyan Golf and Country Club in Huntington, West Virginia.
Graduate student Alex Doss had another solid outing tying for seventh overall with a 210 on a par-213 course. He had 11 birdies through the three rounds.
Senior Miles Parroco finished tied for 13th with a 213 recording 10 birdies in the three rounds and the only eagle for the Norse. Highlands sophomore Luke Muller tied for 17th overall shooting 215.
NKU plays in the Valp Fall Invitational in Chesterton, Indiana at the Sand Creek Country Club on Sept. 19.
Women’s Golf
The Norse finished 11th in the Jennifer Duke Invitational at the Losantiville Country Club that the University of Cincinnati played host to. Freshman Hailey Coleman led the Norse shooting 239 to tie for 35th and junior Emmanuelle Hewson shot 242 good for 41st.
NKU next plays Sept. 25 at the Briar Ridge Invite from Schereville (Indiana) in the Briar Ridge Country Club. Former Horizon League member University of Illinois at Chicago plays host to the two-day tournament.