Soccer Travels to Northern Kentucky on Thursday – Eastern Kentucky University Athletics

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University women’s soccer program will head to Northern Kentucky for a non-conference clash on Thursday night at the NKU Soccer Stadium.
 
Thursday’s match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. EST and admission is free to the pitch.  Fans making the trip up I-75 are encouraged to adhere to NKU’s entrance and tailgating policies, which may differ from those in Richmond and can be found online here.
 
Match Six: EKU (1-3-1) at Northern Kentucky (1-4)
Thursday, Sept. 5 – 7 p.m. EST
NKU Soccer Stadium – Highland Heights, Ky.
Live Stats
 
Last time out, EKU played to a 2-2 come-from-behind draw against former conference foe Eastern Illinois at home.  EKU’s freshman forward duo of Ana Manning and Ella Grode recorded goals in the match, also tallied one assist to their final line.
 
Grode scored the first goal of her collegiate career to equalize in the 88th minute.  Before EKU, she totaled 127 goals in four years at Avon Lake High School in her hometown and is second on the team during her freshman season in shots (10) and shots on goal (3).
 
On the season, Manning leads the Colonels with 19 shots, 10 of those on target which includes two goals. The Loveland, Ohio product is top 55 in the country in shots on goal and shots per game.
 
Three of EKU’s four goals on the season have been assisted by at least one Colonel.  All four assists have come from a different EKU student-athlete.

Thursday’s match is set to be a homecoming event for several members of the EKU program, who has 11 student-athletes on the 2024 roster who call the Greater Cincinnati area home.  
 
Scouting Northern Kentucky
NKU is coming off its first win of the season last Sunday over Mercyhurst by a score of 2-1 at home.  The Norse have been outscored 13-4 on the season, facing off against perennial powers Western Michigan, Miami (Ohio) on the road and at home against Louisville.  All four of NKU’s goals have been scored by a different player, led by junior forward Emilie Doersching who leads the program with 55.6 percent (5-for-9) shot on goal rate.
 
NKU head women’s soccer coach Bob Sheehan is in his 28th season at the helm where he has recorded 354 wins and led the team to four 20-win seasons.
 
History vs. Northern Kentucky
Thursday’s fixture is the sixth meeting between EKU and NKU, who leads the series 4-1 and is plus four in goal differential.  The two programs met last year in Richmond as NKU claimed a 2-0 shutout over the Colonels.  EKU is seeking its first win over its Northern counterpart since 2016.