NKyTribune staff
Deri Corfe’s goal in the second overtime lifted the Wright State University men’s soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Northern Kentucky University on Saturday night, ending the Norse’s perfect start to the season.
Playing in a downpour at the NKU Soccer Stadium, Wright State forced overtime late in regulation when Stefan Rokvic converted a penalty kick at the 86:21 mark. After a scoreless first overtime, Corfe lofted a shot over NKU goalie Jim Barkei that found the back of the net in the left corner in the 106th minute to give Wright State the victory in the Horizon League opener for both teams.
Connor Probert
Connor Probert’s first-half goal had given NKU a 1-0 lead. Alex Greive assisted Probert’s score, which occurred at the 10:42 mark. It was the second goal of the season for Probert, a junior midfielder from Mount Maunganui, New Zealand.
It appeared Probert’s goal would hold up as the winning shot until Rokvic converted the penalty kick for his fourth goal of the season to tie the contest at 1-1.
Wright State owned a 15-14 advantage in shots, including a 6-0 edge during the two overtimes. The Raiders also earned seven corner kicks in the overtimes, compared to none for NKU. During regulation, the Norse owned a 13-5 advantage in corner kicks.
Wright State now holds a 12-3 lead in the all-time series against NKU. A year ago, the Raiders posted a 1-0 win over the Norse.
NKU plays host to Evansville on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Highland Heights.
THOMAS MORE VOLLEYBALL WINS TWICE: Thomas More finished the Bluffton Spiketacular Tournament with a 4-0 record by sweeping Heidelberg (25-14, 25-16, 27-25) and then defeating DePauw in four sets (25-23, 25-14, 23-25, 25-23) on Saturday.
Madison Krumpelman collected 20 kills and hit .310 against DePauw to help Thomas More remain unbeaten (8-0). Emily Mohs added 17 kills for the Saints, who are ranked No. 23 nationally in the NCAA Division III poll.
In the opener against Heidelberg, Julia Popova recorded 10 kills and attacked at a .529 clip, while Jenna Mummert finished with 11 kills and hit .308. On Friday, Thomas More had defeated both No. 18 Ohio Northern and host Bluffton to begin the two-day tournament.
Thomas More plays host to Hanover on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Connor Convocation Center.
NKU VOLLEYBALL WINS TOURNAMENT: The NKU volleyball team defeated both Austin Peay and host Evansville at the Dunn Hospitality Tournament on Saturday to claim the crown in the three-team tournament. The Norse rallied to defeat Austin Peay, 23-25, 25-20, 25-21, 19-25, 16-14, before sweeping the host Purple Aces, 25-21, 25-15, 25-21.
NKU’s Haley Libs was named the tournament’s most valuable player, while the Norse’s Laura Crawford and Miranda Wucherer both were named to the all-tournament team. Libs finished with 26 kills and 14 digs against Austin Peay, while Wucherer notched her third consecutive triple-double with 40 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs.
In the win over Evansville, NKU attacked at a .302 clip for the match, marking the Norse’s highest hitting percentage this season. Libs finished with 12 kills and eight digs, and she is now just 27 digs away from joining NKU’s 1,000-kill/1,000-dig club.
NKU improved to 5-3 and will compete at the Cougar Classic next weekend at Edwardsville, Ill. The Norse begin the tournament Friday by meeting Louisiana Tech at 11:30 a.m.
(Information compiled from NKU Athletics Communications, Thomas More College and staff reports)
