CHICAGO, Ill. -- The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) 2021 Preseason Men's Soccer Poll predicts North Park will capture its fourth-straight league title, as the results of the coaches' poll were announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Following their second Sweet Sixteen appearance in three seasons, the North Park University men's soccer team finished the 2019 season ranked 12th in the final national rankings, according to the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Poll. This is the second-highest finish in program history, with the largest arriving at the end of the 2017 season where the Vikings advanced all the way to the National Finals.
After winning the 2019 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) tournament, the Vikings qualified for their second NCAA Division III Tournament in three years, opening the first round by handling Pacific Lutheran, 6-1, and advancing over Gustavus Adolphus in penalty kicks. North Park's season came to a close in the Sweet Sixteen, falling to Final Four qualifier Calvin University, 1-0, in the 109th minute.
The Vikings were led by USC Second Team All-American and First Team All-Region selection Peder Olsen. The Larvik, Norway native finished his third season at North Park with 46 points and 19 goals, which are national 10th and 11th-bests, respectively. The CCIW's Offensive Player of the Year became North Park's all-time points leader (96) in the final regular season match of 2019 with an 84th minute goal. Adding five more points in his next five matches, Olsen currently sits on 101 career points.
Additionally, a number of Vikings were recognized by the CCIW; sophomore defender Angel Barriga, junior midfielder Gustav Ericsson, junior defender Erlend Kemkers and Olsen all secured first-team honors while junior forward Shatil Khoury and sophomore midfielder Ulrik Lund were recognized with second-team accolades. Also, in his first year at the helm, head coach Kris Grahn was named the league's Co-Coach of the Year after finishing the CCIW portion of the season with a 6-1-1 record and a conference title.
Finally, capping off the individual honors, Barriga, Ericsson, Olsen, and Lund all gathered All-Central Region honors by USC.
The Vikings won the poll with 62 points and six first place votes. As a program, North Park is a six-time conference champion and a national runner-up in 2017.
Voting is done by the CCIW's head men's soccer coaches. Each coach votes for the eight other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (eight points for first, seven for second, etc.). Coaches do not vote for their own teams.
2021 CCIW Preseason Men's Soccer Poll
| Rank |
Institution |
Points (1st Pl. Votes) |
| 1 |
North Park |
62 (6) |
| 2 |
Carthage |
52 (2) |
| 3 |
Wheaton |
51 (1) |
| 4 |
North Central |
47 |
| 5 |
Illinois Wesleyan |
34 |
| 6 |
Elmhurst |
28 |
| 7 |
Millikin |
23 |
| 8 |
Carroll |
14 |
| 9 |
Augustana |
13 |
2019 CCIW Men's Soccer Standings
| Institution |
CCIW |
Overall |
| North Park |
6-1-1 |
16-5-2 |
| North Central |
6-2-0 |
11-5-3 |
| Illinois Wesleyan |
5-2-1 |
9-8-2 |
| Elmhurst |
4-3-1 |
10-9-2 |
| Wheaton |
3-2-3 |
10-4-4 |
| Augustana |
3-4-1 |
6-7-2 |
| Carthage |
3-4-1 |
8-10-2 |
| Millikin |
2-6-0 |
6-9-1 |
| Carroll |
0-8-0 |
7-10-0
|
