Thanks to Dr. Jeff Nelson for the pictures
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The men's soccer team went into their Saturday match against Augustana on the precipice of history. Never before had the Vikings ran the table in CCIW play, as undefeated seasons of the past (2006, 2012, & 2017) had always included a draw or two.
That would change on this fateful Saturday. The Vikings would go on to annihilate Augustana in a 7-1. effort to cement this team's place in the school's—and the CCIW's—record books.
Captain Peder Olsen started off the festivities with a penalty kick in the 8th minute, and he secured the brace just minutes later off of an assist from Erik Lundeen. The latter of these marked Olsen's 10th goal of the season in CCIW play, giving him a historic performance of his own as that represents the most since John Kightlinger of Wheaton scored 13 in 2001.
Augustana tried to weather the storm in the form of an unassisted goal off the foot of Jarrett Baumgartner with 15 minutes to go in the 1st half. This goal marked the first time that Augustana has scored against North Park since 2014, and it would also be their last in this one.
Coming out of halftime with a 2-1 lead, the Vikings refused to rest on their laurels. Angel Barriga and Patrick Knap both got on the board with goals of their own, with the former coming off an assist from none other than Peder Olsen. Shortly thereafter, Olsen would craft up another assist for the score sheet, sending a ball to Jesse Anamoo who slotted home his 11th goal of the season. The two goals and assists from Olsen mark his fourth ever game with six or more points, vaulting him over Jonas Patterson for the school record. They bring Olsen to 24 points on the season, which is good for third in CCIW history behind Eric Brown's 27 for Wheaton in 1998 and the aforementioned Kightlinger's 27 in 2001. That marks three straight CCIW goals and CCIW points titles for the Captain. Nobody in CCIW history has ever won more than two titles in either category, let alone both.
Jesse Anamoo decided that it was his turn to score a brace, and he pocketed home his 11th goal of the season just after scoring his 10th. This ties him for 2nd place in the CCIW with Mickey Reilly of Carthage College. The Vikings had one more goal left in them as Willy Wickman scored his first goal of the season in the 84th minute with the help of teammate Jerry Sheikh on the assist, bringing the final tally to 7-1.
North Park's run at history saw them score 34 goals in CCIW play this season while allowing just 4, good for a +30 differential. Those numbers all mark the best the conference has seen in over 15 years. Notably, no other team that has allowed 4 or fewer goals in a CCIW season has done so since Carroll re-entered the league.
What's Next?
North Park's historic regular season comes to an end, but this is just the beginning of the greater task at hand: the CCIW tournament. The Vikings take on Wheaton on Wednesday, November 3rd at the Holmgren Athletic Conference in a 7:00 PM matchup. Come to the game or tune into the stream to watch the Vikings as they attempt to continue on their pursuit of perfection.
