The NKU men's soccer team has been picked to finish second in the 2010 Great Lakes Valley Conference race.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team is picked to finish second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference by the league's coaches, the GLVC office announced on Wednesday.
Drury emerged as the league favorite with 188 total points and eight first-place votes in a very tight poll. NKU received three first-place votes and 183 total points.
Lewis also claimed three first-place votes and 168 total points in the voting. The final first-place vote went to Bellarmine, which placed fourth in the poll with 159 points.
The Norse were picked to win the conference in each of the past two seasons in the preseason poll.
The Norse finished the 2009 season with a 15-6-2 record and qualified for their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament. NKU has advanced to the GLVC Tournament championship game in each of the last three seasons.
The Norse return
Steven Beattie, the team's all-time and single-season leading scorer. Beattie netted 19 goals last season and has 51 to his credit during his three-year career. He also notched 21 goals during the 2008 campaign.
NKU's all-time shutout leader,
Michael Lavric, also returns for his senior season. Lavric had four shutouts last year to bring his career total to 20.
NKU will open its exhibition season by hosting Cincinnati on Aug. 20. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Norse and the Bearcats last faced off in a regular-season contest on Oct. 21, 1987, a game that NKU won, 3-2.
The 2010 regular season kicks off on Sept. 3 with a home contest against Findlay. The Norse are 7-2-1 in the all-time series against the Oilers and have won the last six contests between the two teams.
The GLVC season kicks off two days later against Southern Indiana. NKU needed overtime before Beattie notched the game-winner in last year's 2-1 decision.
All of NKU's home contests will be played at the brand new NKU Soccer Stadium, located adjacent to The Bank of Kentucky Center on the NKU campus.
2010 Great Lakes Valley Conference Preseason Poll
| Team (first-place votes) |
Total Votes |
2009 Record |
2009 GLVC Record |
| 1. Drury (8) |
188 |
21-2 |
13-1 |
| 2. Northern Kentucky (3) |
183 |
15-6-2 |
11-3 |
| 3. Lewis (3) |
168 |
16-3-3 |
10-3 |
| 4. Bellarmine (1) |
159 |
11-6-1 |
8-5 |
| 5. Wisconsin-Parkside |
142 |
13-5-2 |
8-4-2 |
| 6. Rockhurst |
115 |
8-10 |
6-8 |
| 7. Quincy |
112 |
9-8-2 |
7-5-1 |
| 8. Missouri S&T |
108 |
7-7-1 |
7-5-1 |
| 9. Missouri-St. Louis |
95 |
9-7-2 |
7-5-2 |
| 10. Indianapolis |
81 |
8-7-2 |
6-7-1 |
| 11. Saint Joseph's |
76 |
9-7-2 |
6-6-2 |
| 12. Southern Indiana |
62 |
6-10-1 |
5-9 |
| 13. Kentucky Wesleyan |
37 |
5-13-1 |
2-11-1 |
| 14. Maryville |
28 |
1-15-1 |
1-12-1 |
| 15. Illinois-Springfield |
21 |
2-14-1 |
0-13-1 |
