For all of the hype about NKU’s defense, also known as the “Norse Wall”- the offense has picked up in recent weeks. And really, it could not have come at a better time. The Norse have been nothing short of dominant the last three weeks, which should do wonders come Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament time.

Perhaps they’ve taken up after the women’s team. Whatever the case, the Norse haven’t found themselves in the loss column for a month.

After Drury upended the No. 1-ranked Norse a month ago, they haven’t lost. Suddenly, the offense has begun to light up, and the defense has not allowed more than one goal in any game since the loss at Drury. Maybe that’s where it all got started, seeing how the Norse are peaking at the exact time.

The Norse have scored 21 goals over six games this month. In September, they scored 13.

There’s no such thing as a good loss, contrary to what some talking heads, (notably NCAA basketball analysts) will tell you.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a bad loss. Looking back on it, no middle-of-the-road team in the country, much less in the GLVC, has had any business beating the Norse this year. Over the last two years, the Norse have established themselves as one of the country’s elite. Very few can argue against a team that hadn’t lost a conference game in nearly two full seasons.

But maybe, just maybe, that loss wasn’t so bad after all.Just like that, the Norse seem to be a much more focused, offensively potent team than they were several weeks ago.

Sometimes a loss, while never good, isn’t such a terrible thing after all.

Of course Jon Basalgya was more than apprehensive about the Norse being ranked No. 1 so early in the season. He probably should have been. Not two weeks later, Drury stunned the Norse in overtime. Since then? The Norse haven’t lost. A scoreless tie to first-place Rockhurst and a nonconference road tie to Ashland did little harm in the standings. The Norse, in fact, are now in a virtual tie with Rockhurst and have clinched a GLVC Tournament berth.

Ireland native Steven Beattie has been nothing short of an all-GLVC caliber player. With 14 goals and 31 points overall, Beattie has a legitimate chance at a GLVC offensive player of the year or MVP title to take home with him. Attribute no less than a small amount of the recent offensive success to the Irishman.

With that, the Norse enter the most pivotal part of the season. A Senior Day with Indianapolis awaits, where five seniors will say good-bye to playing at Highland Heights.

But it won’t be the final time they play.