Men's Soccer | 8/28/2014 10:50:00 PM
2014 North Park Men's Soccer Schedule
2014 North Park Men's Soccer Roster
Success may almost come natural if the pieces to the North Park men's soccer puzzle come together for the 2014 season.
With four of its six All-CCIW players returning from last year's squad, which finished with an 11-5-3 record, the Vikings have plenty of weapons to dethrone their opponents.
"We've got a solid group of guys returning and we're expecting some great things from them," said first-year associate head coach Kris Grahn. "Although we lost four starters from last year we are a little bit deeper and have high hopes for the upcoming year."
Most of NP's success in the past has come from its versatile offense and quickness to score goals, but the Vikings will be focusing on a different part of their arsenal to keep opposing teams on their heels.
"We've been working on defense for most of the preseason because college soccer is a very high-paced and high-pressured game," Grahn said. "With the guys we have on the team we know they're going to create a lot of chances on their own, so we've been focusing mainly on our defense."
North Park earned a 4-2-1 mark in the conference last season and a spot in the postseason conference tournament for the third time in the last four years. The Vikings are picked to finish second this year, but Grahn thinks with the depth the team possesses they have a strong chance of going one step further for the regular season title.
"We have a very solid roster from top to bottom and we're very happy with the preseason we've had," Grahn said. "Our guys will be ready from start to finish."
Second Team All-CCIW selection Markus Fodstad leads a strong corps of returners. Fodstad, a senior from Hovik Norway, recorded a three-game stretch from Sept. 17-28 last season where he buried a pair of game-winning goals and tallied four total. Of his 39 shots, 18 were on goal as he garnered a .462 shots on goal percentage. Along with Fodstad, juniors Diego Lashlee and Wesley Woodley as well as senior Fredrik Greiff return to a squad that carried an unblemished 7-0-1 record at home last season.
"Those four are very talented players," Grahn said. "They should hopefully produce once again for us this year and we're excited to have them back."
A host of newcomers who possess extremely talented resumes are also looking to make an immediate impact and complement the experience the Vikings will bring.
"We have a lot of high hopes for our new guys," Grahn said. "I can't mention them all, but they'll definitely make a strong impact for our team."
North Park opens the season tomorrow night when it hosts Benedictine University at 7 p.m.
