Fresh off of its Horizon League regular-season title, the Northern Kentucky men’s soccer team has its sights set on the 2021 season and a 17-game regular-season schedule.
“We are excited to be able to play three top-25 ranked teams (Louisville, Oral Roberts and CCU) away from home this year after reaching the heights of our No. 17 RPI in the spring,” said Stu Riddle, head coach of the Norse.
A trio of exhibitions are set for mid-August, highlighted by a home meeting against Kentucky on Aug. 20. The Norse will also face Georgetown College (Aug. 14) and Bellarmine (Aug. 16).
The regular-season opens on the road at UNC Asheville on Aug. 26. NKU’s first home contest follows on Aug. 28, when it hosts Centre. Oral Roberts presents a tough road test for the Norse on Sept. 3 before they return home for a pair of matchup against VMI (Sept. 7). NKU also has two nonconference meetings at Louisville (Sept. 21) and Coastal Carolina (Oct. 30), plus a home matchup with ETSU (Oct. 5) on the docket.
Horizon League action picks up on Sept. 11, when Northern Kentucky hosts Robert Morris. The Norse will also welcome Wright State (Sept. 25), Detroit Mercy (Oct. 9), IUPUI (Oct. 13) and Oakland (Nov. 3) to the NKU Soccer Stadium as part of its home League schedule.
Road contests in league play feature trips to Purdue Fort Wayne (Sept. 18), UIC (Sept. 29), Green Bay (Oct. 2), Cleveland State (Oct. 16) and Milwaukee (Oct. 23). The Horizon League Tournament is slated for Nov. 7, 11 and 13.
The Norse are coming off of their first-ever Horizon League Regular-Season Championship after posting a 7-1 league mark and going 7-2 overall. NKU also achieved its first-ever national ranking, reaching as high as No. 22 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. Daniel Bermingham, the reigning Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year, returns to lead the Norse on the pitch. Opponents mustered just a 0.75 goals against average versus Bermingham.
