Going against a biggest rival is always a game on the schedule teams look forward to playing.

It makes the game even more intriguing when the rival is ranked No. 1 in the country and the defending Division II national champions.

That was exactly the scenario when the USI men’s soccer team squared off against Northern Kentucky University on Sunday. The game did not start off very well for the Eagles when they took an early 1-0 deficit off a goal by the Norse junior midfielder Brodie Steigerwald in the first 10 minutes.

It was the first goal allowed in the first half by the Eagles all season. The Eagles came storming back with a goal by senior forward Mauricio Paniagua off a put back from a missed shot by junior midfielder Jeffrey McClure.

It came in the first 21 minutes of the first half to tie the game up and swing the momentum in USI’s favor. The heated rivalry resulted in rough, physical play from both team throughout the match.

Junior midfielder Kevin Minor came into the game early on in the second half for injured junior midfielder Corey Fundenberger, who was hurt after a tussle with one of the Northern Kentucky players.

Sophomore defenseman Julio Roda kept the Norse from invading USI territory very often and mixed it up with the Northern Kentucky offensive players throughout the game.

Because of the rough play, each team received several yellow cards throughout the entire match. Early on in the second half, the Norse took the lead with a penalty kick goal. USI fought back and scored a goal of the foot of freshman midfielder Brock Gourley.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” Gourlrey said. “The goal changed the momentum of the game and helped us tie it up.” 

The game remained tied until an hour and a half in when the aggressive defensive effort by the Eagles backfired and resulted in an own goal to give NKU a 3-2 advantage. USI ran out of time to make a comeback and the game ended like the two previous games, a loss in a hard fought game.

“We are still learning how to win,” head coach Mat Santoro said. “We are gaining experience with each game. We just have to keep our heads up and execute.”

Santoro said USI is still learning how to play together and to do what it takes to finish out games down the stretch.

The Eagles will try to earn their first victory of the season coming up this week with conference games against Missouri Science and Technology.