PICTURED: Miguel Valle

In what has become a classic rivalry in the CCIW in recent memory, North Park and Carthage battled for the rights to sole possession of first place in the conference Wednesday night.

However it was Carthage besting the Vikings as the Red Men set the tone early with a pair of goals, including one in the 26th minute, as they earned a 3-2 win over the hosts on a windy, cool evening at the Holmgren Athletic Complex.

The loss snapped a season-long six-match winning streak for the Vikings as well as a five-match CCIW winning streak as they moved to 5-1 in the conference.

North Park was held to one of its lowest first shot totals this season unfortunately as the Vikings mustered only two, but they kept things at a one-goal deficit at halftime after Ivan Esquivel tallied the first goal for the Red Men.

NP found themselves down 2-0 early in the second half though after a Giles Phillips' goal, but the hosts regrouped and cut the lead in half when Miguel Valle, who continued to have a senior season to remember, put away his third goal of the season and his second in the last four matches when he buried a top shelf shot off a Gianfranco DeCarne assist in the 59th minute. Carthage responded again with a goal in the 81st minute as Alberto Eloyza put the visitors in front 3-1, but North Park didn't relent as it came back with its second goal – a Matias Warp shot on an Emil Eriksson feed – in the 87th minute.

Senior keeper Wesley Woodley faced nine shots on frame and made six show-stopping saves to keep Carthage off the scoreboard as much as possible. DeCarne led the Vikings with four shots.

North Park (9-3-1, 5-1) looks to rebound Wednesday when it travels to UW-Whitewater for a 7 p.m. match.