DAYTON, Ohio – The Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team battled the heat and a tough to crack Detroit Mercy team to claim a 1-0 win in overtime. Senior Caleb Eastham’s header in the 95th-minute secured the team’s first victory of the 2014 season.

 

It was anything but and easy contest for the Norse as they struggled to get a hold of the game right out of the gate. Detroit was in constant possession of the ball and NKU was never able to get their offense rolling in the opening forty-five minutes. Ronnie Moss and Kobie Qualah each created a chance in the first half but neither effort was enough to challenge the Titans’ keeper Nathan Steinwascher.

 

“We played the first half the way we’ve started training the past few weeks, slow and lethargic,” said head coach John Basalyga. “We didn’t play well at all. We were trying to find combinations that worked all night long. Searching for the right combinations and constantly subbing people in because of inconsistency is why we couldn’t solve anything.”

 

The second half started out the same way. Both teams looked to be struggling in the heavy heat but it was Detroit who controlled the pace of the game. The Titans opened the half breaking down the Norse defenders and in the 49th-minute, Detroit’s Matt Yabarra sent in a low cross that deflected off A.J. Fleak’s leg and hit the post rolling out of bounds.

 

The Norse offense finally began to pick up later in the half. In the 73rd-minute, defender Ian O’Reilly saw the ball drop in front of him from 30-yards out. He took a long-range shot that dipped in front of goal and barely sailed wide of the frame. Just a few minutes later, Qualah broke past the Detroit backline and tried to poke the ball past Detroit’s keeper. Steinwascher was able to make the save and keep the score-line level.

 

“From the first and second half I talked to the guys about sending balls in,” said senior forward Caleb Eastham. “I told them just to whip it in as fast as possible and it would work.”

 

The second whistle blew and the Norse were heading for their second overtime in as many games this season.

 

“I went in to the game trying to let the first team solve the game themselves,” said Basalyga. “The subs did a very good job but we weren’t consistent because nobody was putting enough work in.”

 

The Norse began to really find their footing in overtime and the pace of the game began to swing in their favor. In the 95th-minute, Cian McDonald crossed the ball in the box and found the head of Caleb Eastham. Eastham directed the ball into the bottom right of the goal, giving Steinwascher no chance to make the save.

 

“Overtime isn’t really ‘overtime’ anymore,” said Eastham. “We’ve been through so many that you just have to grind it out. In my mind, I wasn’t going to play two overtimes and I just wanted to end it. Everyone just did their job and found a way to win. Since I’ve been here, I’ve had four goals with my head and one with my foot so scoring with my head has become a very large part of my game.”

 

“The mentality was to find a way to win,” said Basalyga. “It wasn’t pretty but our guys found a way to win. Cian and Caleb weren’t playing well all game but in overtime Cian served a good ball and Eastham put it away. It comes down to the mentality going in to a game has to change. We found a way to win and that shows character. It certainly beats tying.”

 

The Norse improved to 1-0-1 on the season and will return to Dayton on Sunday Sept. 7 to take on High Point at 11a.m. Live stats will be available and nkunorse.com and be sure to follow @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter for live tweet updates from the match.