Photo credit: Dr. Jeff Nelson
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The 18th-ranked North Park University men's soccer team shut out non-conference opponent Illinois Tech, 2-0, at the Holmgren Athletic Complex on Wednesday night.
The extended 0-0 tie may have seemed like a slow start but the Vikings were rattling off shots from all angles in the first half. In total, North Park took 16 shots, while allowing none from the Scarlet Hawks' offense.
In the 39th minute, Illinois Tech's Jack Critzer was sent off with a red card, allowing North Park to play a man up.
The Vikings took advantage of this minutes later, as sophomore forward Angel Barriga hustled to take the ball away from the Illinois Tech defense, who sent the ball over to sophomore Patrick Knap. Knap had plenty of room to work with, sending his shot into the center of the net for his third goal of the season.
HALFTIME: North Park 1, IIT 0
The Vikings held on to their one-goal lead through the early minutes of the second half, tacking on one more in the 72nd minute of play. Beating a pair of defenders while just keeping the ball off the end line, Barriga teamed up with freshman midfielder William Sandkvist for the second goal of the game. Sandkvist beat the IIT keeper on a beautiful one-touch shot, tallying his fifth goal of the season.
North Park's defense went on to complete the shutout, as the Vikings took the homecoming game by a score of 2-0.
FINAL: North Park 2, IIT 0
Quick Hits:
- Barriga moves into the CCIW lead with five assists
- Sandkvist marked his fifth goal of the season as Knap added his third
- The Vikings did not allow a single shot in the first half
What's Next?
North Park (4-2) returns to away action on Saturday, September 21 when they travel to face Kalamazoo College. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
