Louisville, K.Y.- The No. 10 Dowling Men's Soccer team fell to No. 4 Northern Kentucky University, 4-1, in the NCAA DII National Semifinal this Thursday. The Golden Lions finish the 2010 campaign at 12-2-6.
Dowling, who advanced to the Final Four after downing No. 1 Franklin Pierce University, 1-0, in the National Quarterfinals, entered the matchup on a 12 game undefeated streak while Northern Kentucky was on a 10 game win streak of their own.
Prior to kickoff, Vladimir Milosavljevic was honored with the NCAA Elite 88 Award. The award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 88 championships.
The Norse didn't waste any time in the match, taking a 1-0 lead after a shot from Paul Andrews just a minute and a half into the game. NKU was able to increase their lead to 3-0 thanks to two goals from star forward Steven Beattie. Sulemana Ali was able to get one back in the 39th minute for Dowling by converting after a scramble in the box. The Golden Lions still saw themselves down 3-1 at the break.
With the minutes winding down, a miscue on the Dowling defense allowed Northern Kentucky to make it 4-1 at 83 minutes in. Down 3 goals, the Golden Lions couldn't get another back as the Norse took the win and advanced to the DII National Final.
-Provided by Dowling Sports Information department.
