Upstate Hosts Northern Kentucky to Open A-Sun Play
9/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Spartanburg, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's soccer team begins a three-game homestand and opens Atlantic Sun Conference play in the process when the Spartans welcome Northern Kentucky to County University Soccer Stadium Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Upstate returns home following a 1-0 victory Sept. 21 at VMI that saw the Spartans improve to 4-0 all-time against the Keydets. Junior Kenzie Major scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season to become the first Spartan since 2011 with at least five goals in a season. Senior Samantha Seelinger picked up the assist on the play, while Ellen Bright tallied four saves for her first shutout of the season.
Following her goal at VMI, Major upped her career points total to 16 and stands in a tie for first place all-time at USC Upstate during the Division I era. The Rome, Ga., native also registered six shots and is first all-time at Upstate in the Division I era and fourth overall with 83. Major, who ranks third in the A-Sun with 23 shots, needs just two more shots to pass Jennifer Walsh (84) for third all-time.
Northern Kentucky enters the weekend having lost its last two matches, falling 2-1 at home to Butler (Sept. 17) before dropping a 4-1 decision at Murray State (Sept. 21). The Norse, however, will face Francis Marion Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on Upstate in the conference opener.
Freshman forward Macy Hamblin paces the Norse with four goals and nine points, while junior forward Kelsey Laumann owns a team-leading five assists.
"Hope springs eternal with the start of conference play," USC Upstate head coach Abby Minihan said. "This is the start of our second season. We have the opportunity to remedy the mistakes we made in the previous games and prove to ourselves our level of improvement. This is a tremendous opportunity to do that this weekend in our first A-Sun game of the season."
USC Upstate and Northern Kentucky will be meeting for just the third time when the two schools kickoff. The Norse have won both games between the two, claiming a 2-0 victory in Spartanburg in 2012 before posting a 6-1 win last season at the NKU Soccer Stadium.
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