Chris Thompson and Randy Walters each scored first-half goals Sunday as the Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team remained unbeaten with a 2-1 victory over the University of Missouri-Rolla.

NKU, 4-0-1 and ranked 25th nationally in the latest NCAA Division II poll, took a 1-0 lead 24 minutes into the contest when Thompson broke free and scored an unassisted goal.

Walters gave NKU a 2-0 lead seven minutes later when he converted a penalty kick, and the Norse held the two-goal advantage at halftime.

Missouri-Rolla cut the lead to 2-1 at the 52:46 mark when Assane Diouf headed in a shot. That was also the first goal allowed by the NKU defense this season.

NKU goalie Nate Madden recorded four saves, including three in the second half, as the Norse held on for the victory. It was the fourth straight one-goal victory for NKU.

The Norse will begin Great Lakes Valley Conference play September 17 at 5 p.m. against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside at NKU.

The Ferris State University women’s soccer team scored twice in the final eight minutes of the second half Saturday and held on for a 2-0 win over 12th-ranked Northern Kentucky University.

Anslee Stuber-Powell scored on a header off a pass from Britta Dahlberg at the 82:25 mark to give Ferris State a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, Lindsey Pawloski sealed the upset victory for the Bulldogs when she found the net off a pass from Andrea Moma.

Carla Gilbertson posted the shutout and recorded eight saves for Ferris State, which improved to 3-3-1 with the victory. It marked the first meeting in history between NKU and Ferris State in women’s soccer.

Norse goalie Lauren Piening made six saves for NKU, which dropped to 3-2. The Norse held a 17-13 advantage in shot attempts and a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.

NKU will return to action September 17 at 7:30 p.m., to open the GLVC season when the University of Wisconsin-Parkside visits.

The Rangers ended NKU’s five-year reign as GLVC Tournament champion last season by edging the Norse in a penalty-kick shootout during the finals.

The Norse have not lost to a GLVC opponent since Oct. 9, 1999, when Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville posted a 3-1 win over NKU.

In volleyball, Kristin Koralewski capped off a 21-kill performance Saturday by hammering down two consecutive attacks to win the fourth game as Northern Kentucky University knocked off previously unbeaten Ashland University, 33-31, 24-30, 30-28, 30-28.

NKU trailed 23-19 in the fourth game, but the Norse used a 7-3 run to forge a 26-26 tie. After Ashland regained a 27-26 advantage, NKU’s Liz Holmes converted an attack to tie the game at 27-27.

The teams traded points and were tied at 28-28 when Koralewski finished off the match and Ashland’s unbeaten record (6-1) with two straight kills. The NKU All-American recorded a double-double with 21 kills and 13 digs, and she ended with a .396 hitting percentage.

Holmes, a freshman middle hitter, led NKU with 22 kills and a .425 hitting percentage. She also had seven digs and two blocks.

NKU’s Lynne Fischesser keyed the defensive effort with a career-high 27 digs, and she added 12 kills. Julie Lewis notched a career-best 17 digs for NKU, which held a 78-57 edge in digs.

Norse setter Andrea Lanham collected 56 assists and seven digs. Ashland held a 19-9 advantage in blocks, but 16 service errors proved costly to the Eagles on their home floor.

NKU completed the two-day tournament with a 4-0 record later Saturday with a 27-30, 30-26, 30-24, 30-16 victory over Edinboro (Pa.) University. Koralewski and Holmes combined for 35 kills and 32 digs to lead the Norse.

Koralewski now has 1,088 career kills at NKU, and she is ninth on the Norse’s all-time list in that category. She also needs just 43 digs to become the sixth player in NKU history to record both 1,000 digs and 1,000 kills.

Maggie Pugh recorded 14 kills and a .435 hitting percentage as NKU won its fourth straight match and improved to 7-4. The Norse won the blocking battle by a 21-18 margin.

Lewis collected a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs for the Norse, while Lanham just missed a double-double with 57 assists and nine digs. Amber Timmons finished with 20 digs and two service aces.

The volleyball team plays host to Bellarmine University Sept. 18 at 2 p.m.

*Article by Sports Information