Chicago, Ill. -

Entering the 2018 season following their best finish in school history, the North Park men's soccer team has earned the second slot in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.

The 2017 men's soccer team went undefeated for 21 straight games, ultimately losing to Division III powerhouse Messiah College in the National Championship game. 

Along the way, the Vikings earned a CCIW Championship, CCIW Tournament Championship, seven All-CCIW picks (including Newcomer and Player of the Year), four All-Region picks, a First Team All-America selection, and a plethora of awards for Head Coach John Born: D3soccer.com Coach of the Year, Regional Coach of the Year, and CCIW Coach of the Year. Topping all of this off, three Vikings were selected to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team: Ricky Pimentel, Gustav Ericsson, and Mathias Stulen.

The Vikings return a strong core of starters, including a few who garnered 2017 All-CCIW recognition: Jason Gonzalez (Sr.), Ricky Pimentel (Sr.), Mathias Stulen (So), and CCIW Newcomer of the Year Peder Nalum Olsen (So.). With added strength from one of the largest recruiting classes in recent history, Coach Born's squad is looking forward to building on last year's success.

Their season is set to kickoff on September 2nd at the Illinois Institute of Technology.