LOUISVILLLE, Ky. – It did not take long for No. 4 Northern Kentucky to get on the scoreboard on Thursday night in its semifinal match at the 2010 Division II Men’s Soccer Championship against No. 10 Dowling, scoring just minutes into the contest en route to a 4-1 victory at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.

The Norse (19-2-3) posted three tallies in the first half behind two from senior striker Steven Beattie (Skerries, Ireland).

The first goal for the Norse, however, came in the second minute by sophomore Paul Andrews (Skerries, Ireland) as he popped a header over Dowling junior goalkeeper Chris Kucera (Sayville, NY) from a throw-in by freshman defender Anthony Meyer (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Beattie maintained the strong Norse attack in the early going by earning a Dowling turnover and converting the ensuing breakaway by  tapping the ball past Kucera. The score gave NKU a 2-0 lead in the 10th minute.

In the 38th minute, Beattie lased a free kick past Kucera from 20 yards out, providing the Norse a comfortable 3-0 advantage.

Dowling pulled closer less than a minute later as freshman midfielder Sulemana Ali (Accra, Ghana) put home a goal for the Golden Lions off a scramble in front of the net.

Freshman Michael Holder (Toronto, Ontario) scored the final goal of the match in the 83rd minute, tapping the ball past Kucera on the near post. 

The Norse outshot tenth-ranked Dowling, 11-5. Dowling concludes its season with an 12-2-6 overall record.

The Norse will look to capture the Division II Men’s Soccer Championship on Saturday in a match-up with fifth-ranked  Rollins College at 3 p.m. EST.