Nothing seems to faze North Park through the young 2014 men's soccer season. Even with the gravest of challenges, the Vikings always find a way to work around it.
Facing a 2-0 hole early at the hands of UW-Oshkosh Tuesday afternoon in Wisconsin, North Park overcame the deficit with tremendous resiliency, scoring three-straight goals to earn a 3-2, double overtime victory, pushing their record to 6-1 on the year.
Sophomore sensation Pedram Tahmi-Masoleh scored the game-winning goal in the 108th minute when he tallied a shot off a Stany Lokamba assist, 20 yards out off the left corner. For Tahmi-Masoleh it was his second goal of the game, and his sixth of the season as North Park handed Oshkosh its fourth loss of the season.
After Oshkosh staked its two-goal lead through the first 52 minutes, North Park went to work on the comeback, its second rebound performance in the last three matches. Tahmi-Masoleh picked up his first goal of the game, a 15-yard blast off a Kebba Sanyang assist, in the 55th minute trimming the Titans lead to 2-1. After a defensive battle through the next 32 minutes, North Park then tied the match on a Sanyang tally, his first of the season, in the 87th minute. Lokamba set up Sanyang perfectly tapping the ball to the freshman in stride from a yard out for the strike.
Despite falling behind early, North Park overcame its woes with a solid second half and overtime performance, out-shooting Oshkosh 8-7. Junior keeper Wesley Woodley also stayed sharp as he made five total saves, including two crucial stops in both overtime periods to keep the Vikings in contention for the victory.
North Park (6-1) returns to action Saturday when it travels to Terre Haute, Indiana for a 4 p.m. contest with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.