GALLERY: Ngatcha and Raiders prove to be too much for Norse

Forward+Jacob+Cunningham+and+the+Norse+lost+2-0+to+Evansville

Colin Johnson

Forward Jacob Cunningham and the Norse lost 2-0 to Evansville

The ride continues to be a rough one for the men’s soccer team, as the team lost it’s eighth straight game on Saturday evening, falling 4-0 to Wright State.

Head Coach John Basalyga is trying to remain in good spirits, despite the 0-8-1 start to 2016.

“We’re young. I have to be patient with these kids. They are going to make mistakes,” Basalyga said

Two of those mistakes came with less than five minute left in the second half, giving up two goals to head into halftime with a 2-0 deficit. The Norse never recovered, giving up two more goals in the second half. 

“It changes the whole complexion of the game,” Basalyga said. “It’s tough especially since we don’t score a lot of goals.”  

The Norse only took six shots during the entire game, while Wright State pressured the Norse and shot 19 times. Peguy Ngatcha score twice for the Raiders, extending his season total to eight. Elliot Cutts and Luke Treadway both scored their first goals of the season.  

NKU also collected 17 fouls, which would be concerning to some but Basalyga won’t lose sleep over it.

“When we won our championship we led the country in fouls,” Basalyga said. “It’s part of the way we play. We’ve always been known as a physical team.”

This young Norse team continues to learn on the fly, with many of the sophomores and freshman playing their first full season of collegiate soccer. 

“They come to practice with a good attitude and I appreciate their effort,” Basalyga said. “They are upset and they should be. They have to take pride in who they are as players.” 

12 of the 20 players who played were either freshman or sophomores. The inexperience of this team continues to show, but the Basalyga thinks the talent that they have will shine through. 

“I’m a big believer that good teams have to lose,” Basalyga said. “We’re going to build on this. It may not happen this year, but it will happen eventually.”

One of those 12 who played in this game was sophomore goalkeeper Dezmond Thompson, who played in the second half as the replacement for Christian Carey, who gave up three of the four goals. Thompson had only played 17 minutes previously this season, but came in for the final 30 minutes.

“His teeth were chattering,” Basalyga said. “But every time he gets out on the field he will get better.”

Thompson gave up one goal, but collected two saves against the Raider offense. 

The Norse have another tough matchup ahead of them on Wednesday, when they play the UC Bearcats at NKU Soccer Stadium. 

“I’m not one of those guys who sits back and says ‘We’ve been in a bad streak so take the next three days off’. It’s not in my DNA,” Basalyga said. “We’ll be back out on Monday.”

Stay Tuned to the Northerner for a photo gallery from today’s match.