Skip To Main Content

North Park University Athletics

Kebba Sanyang
4
Winner North Park NPU (10-2-0)
3
North Central NCC (8-4-1)
Winner
North Park NPU
(10-2-0)
4
Final
3
North Central NCC
(8-4-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North Park NPU 2 2 4
North Central NCC 2 1 3

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Kevin Shepke

Men's Soccer upends North Central 4-3

Sanyang scores game-winner in 62nd minute

North Central College may have had thoughts of an upset when they took to the field against the Vikings Saturday night in Naperville.

After all, the Cardinals came into the match with a three-match winning streak and eight victories to their name on the season.

But NP freshman forward Kebba Sanyang made sure that wasn't the case as he came up with what ended up being the game-winning goal in a 4-3 win over the Cardinals in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin action.

For Sanyang it was his second goal of the season as he recorded two shots in leading North Park to its 10th win of the year, but more importantly it put the No. 18 nationally-ranked Vikings at 2-0 in the conference now in a first-place tie with Wheaton College.

The victory also marked the 199th for head coach John Born (199-121-37), who over his illustrious 16-year career with the Vikings has produced 12-straight seasons with 10 or more victories.

Sanyang's tally came in the 62nd minute when he scored unassisted. North Park out-shot NCC 10-9 in the first half, but the Vikings had to work for their offense in the second as the Cardinals owned a 7-4 advantage to out-shoot the visitors 16-14 overall.

Both teams went into halftime deadlocked at 2-2 after they traded goals in the opening 35 minutes. Lucas Habeeb gave North Central the early advantage with a goal in the second minute, but North Park countered with the equalizer in the form of a Pedram Tahmi-Masoleh tally, his team-best ninth goal of the season 18 minutes later. Carl Damberg then gave the Vikings a 2-1 edge when he scored his first goal of the season in the 23rd minute, but again the hosts an answer this time coming up with the equalizer 12 minutes later.

Tahmi-Masoleh would record his 10th goal of the year on a penalty kick in the 61st minute to put the Vikings ahead 3-2 and Sanyang followed to give NP a two-goal advantage. North Central later added its final goal – a Jake Johnson tally – in the 78th minute.

North Park (10-2, 2-0) looks to continue its momentum as it travels to Illinois Wesleyan Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. match with the Titans.

Print Friendly Version