CHICAGO, IL (October 22, 2011) – It was over a decade in the making, but it just came up short for the North Park football team Saturday afternoon in Rock Island.

Seeking their first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin win since the 2000 season the Vikings put their best foot forward and nearly pulled it off against Augustana, but fell 27-24 before a crowd of 1,952 fans at Augustana's Ericson Field.

Every score Augustana had in the first half, the Vikings matched it, going into halftime with a 14-14 tie. Augustana took the initial lead in the second quarter, but NP came back with a TD on a 13-play, 77-yard drive, ending on a one-yard run from freshman Matt Shurtleff with 6:27 left in the quarter. Four minutes later, AC struck again on a 61-yard drive, but North Park tied it just before halftime when sophomore quarterback Tyler Krebs found junior De'Marien Hampton for a 37-yard TD pass, ending a 76-yard drive.

North Park then took the lead at 17-14 on a Tony Kebede 24-yard field goal late in the third quarter, but Augie answered with a touchdown at the 3:15 mark to pull ahead 20-17. Things would stay that way until AC made it a 10-point advantage at 27-17 on an 80-yard pass play a minute into the fourth quarter. The Vikings did close it within a field goal when a trick play set up a Sam Cochiaro eight-yard scoring strike to Hampton, but the Vikings couldn't draw any closer.

North Park turned in its best CCIW offensive contest this season as it garnered 339 yards of total offense, including 284 yards rushing to Augustana's 169. Junior Matt Hassan led the ground attack with 110 yards on 26 carries, while Krebs completed a pair of passes for 47 yards.

North Park (3-4, 0-4) returns to action next Saturday when it hosts Carthage College for Senior Day at 1 p.m.

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