[Stardust]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University men’s soccer team spent much of this season living on the edge of either blowing a lead or rallying from a deficit only to continually find a way to win, so it might as well have played the NCAA Division II championship game in the same manner.

http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/201...ccer-title

After Rollins College (Fla.) rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to tie the Norse at 2-2 a little over six minutes into the second half, freshman Michael Holder tallied for NKU with just over 25 minutes remaining, and a couple of spectacular saves by senior Michael Lavric made the tally stand up in a 3-2 win at Bellarmine University’s Owsley B. Frazier Stadium

It’s the first NCAA championship for NKU other than two won by the women’s basketball program (in 2000 2008) and approximately 400-500 NKU fans made the trek down I-71 to watch it.

“It wasn’t pretty,” said NKU head coach John Basalyga. “A typical Northern Kentucky game: go ahead, give up two goals and figure out a way to score a game winner. We’ve been doing that all year long. We’ve been there so many times this year. We usually start from behind. The one thing that's good about this team is it has a lot of composure and they have a lot of drive.”

Basalyga, who is in his eighth season after guiding Cincinnati Turpin High School to three Ohio state championships in 24 seasons as boys’ coach, helps provide that drive as he readily admits he’s not an easy coach to play for.

“We’re not the prettiest team in the world,” Basalyga said. “That team was very technical, very big and in some cases more skilled than us, but I think the way we train and what we do and how we do it, it’s that gut thing we have. I’d rather win ugly than lose good.”

NKU (20-2-3), which reached the semifinals in 2008 and quarterfinals in 2006 and 2007, appeared in the first half as it would win as easily as it did in its previous two games, when it downed West Virginia Wesleyan, 3-0, in the quarterfinals and knocked off Dowling in the semifinals, 4-1.

The Norse built a 2-0 on goals from two players who haven’t scored much this season: freshman Jack Little, who scored nine minutes into the game, and from sophomore Jordan Grant, a Mason graduate, in the 32nd minutes. It was just the third goal for each this season.

Rollins (15-4-3) quickly tied the score on a goal less than three minutes into the second half and another about three minutes later. Both came off corner kicks. Lavric appeared especially upset about the second, which was the end result of a scramble in front of the net.

“You’re up on a two-goal lead and just in a snap of a finger in about two minutes it’s all wiped away and it kind of feels like the game’s starting to slip away from you,” said Lavric, who made nine save in the match. “We’ve been dealing with situations like that all year and we kept our composure and battle back and we always find ways to score goals.”

The game-winner came when junior Anthony Meyer sent a cross that Holder was able to head with just enough steam that it slipped through the gloves of Rollins freshman keeper Keneil Baker. Holder said he wasn’t sure he got enough on the shot to get it past Baker.

“I just knew it was good enough to contest him,” said Holder, who finished the season with 15 goals. “I just tried to get contact and get it on goal.”

Lavric helped make it stand up with some big-time saves, including a couple he was barely able to deflect while diving horizontally. He had six saves in the second half.

“Those saves were the game-winners, period,” said Basalyga.

The game was played in a steady snow that covered the field turf playing surface in the first half. After it was cleared at halftime, an even heavier snow covered it even more in the second and made the conditions difficult, perhaps more so for Rollins, which is in Winter Park, Fla.

“The problem is we don’t have too much snow in Florida so we just didn’t know how to play it,” said Rollins coach Keith Buckley. "We tried to play a normal way and it wasn’t working. We’re not here to make excuses, Northern Kentucky is a great team, but this is not a normal situation for us. I’m not sure too many professional games have been allowed to play in this.”

NKU senior standout Steven Beattie, a three-time first-team All-America selection who was named National Player of the Year on Wednesday, wasn’t near the factor he had been throughout the season, when he tallied 26 goals, including 10 in the postseason and six in the NCAA Tournament, as he was held to just one shot on goal. That didn’t matter much to the Irish-born Beattie.

“I said before the game I would give all them accolades to win a national championship,” said Beattie, whose mother Carol and sister Lauren made the trip from Ireland for the game.

“It’s a team game. I was the first international that coach brought on. He promised this program was on the up and an Elite 8, a Final Four and a national championship - it’s a credit to the program and everyone involved with the program," said Beattie. "It’s just absolutely amazing to go out with a national championship.”

[15thRegionSlamaBamma]

Big congrats to NKU