COLUMBUS, Ohio – Looking to jump back into the Top 25, the Ohio Dominican men's soccer team rallied late against No. 8 Northern Kentucky, but came up just short in their upset bid, falling 2-1 Wednesday evening at Panther Field.

The teams battled to a scoreless stalemate in the first half as the Norse posted an 8-3 advantage on shots and 2-1 on corner kicks.

After the break, National Player of the Year candidate Steven Beattie gave NKU a 1-0 lead at the 61:14 mark in the second as he connected on a loose ball straight on from 18 yards out, sneaking it between two ODU defenders.  

Just over one minute later, Beattie found the back of the net again, nailing a tough-angled shot from 10 yards out on the right side to the far corner of the goal. Assisting on Beattie's 16th score of the season was Michael Holder.

A penalty kick in the 68th minute provided the Panthers with a great scoring opportunity, but Norse keeper Michael Lavric guessed correctly and was able to make a diving stop on Felix Darko's (Jr./Reynoldsburg, OH) attempt. Justin Wheeler (So./Gahanna, OH) pounced on the rebound, but Lavric once again denied the ODU scoring chance.   

The Panthers finally broke through at the 78:39 mark as Darko dropped the ball off to Wheeler in the box who ripped his third score of the season straight on from about nine yards deep, cutting the deficit to 2-1.

ODU got another good look on goal with just under four minutes remaining as AJ Mueller (Sr./ Dublin, OH) connected on a header off a corner kick, but another save by Lavric helped preserve the Norse road win.  

The Panthers (11-5-1; 3-3-1 home) conclude regular season play at home on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 4:30 p.m. as they host GLIAC foe Northwood University (Mich.).

Contact: Bryan Desch
deschb@ohiodominican.edu