CHICAGO, Ill. – The North Park (3-2-1) women's soccer team utilized tremendous defense and a magnificent goal en route to a 1-0 win Wednesday night over Lake Forest College (3-3). In the 42nd minute, Kaya Cortez unleashed a shot form 31-yards out that proved to be the difference in the game.
The first half was a defensive tug-of-war with both sides only producing five shots and the Vikings getting the better chances of the two sides. NPU fired two shots-on-goal as well as four corner kicks while the Forest were only able to get one SOG and one corner. Late in the half, North Park coach Emma Woodley subbed on freshman Kaya Cortez to help spark-plug the offense and only mere seconds later, the supersub struck gold.
Clara Wernbo collected the ball from a goal kick at about midfield and charged on a 40-yard run down the east touchline. When the path to the goal clogged up for Wernbo, she dropped off a simple pass into the path of the first-year midfielder from Idaho. Cortez took it first time with her left boot and sparkled a rainbow over the flailing arm of the Forester keeper to give the hosts a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
Halftime: Vikings 1, Foresters 0
Lake Forest flipped the script in half number two, putting a lot of pressure on the North Park defensive third. LFC out shot NPU by a margin of 10-3 and forced Viking goalkeeper Emily LaSalle into making a career-best seven saves. The Foresters also had four corner kicks, but the Vikings defense held stout and kept the ball out of the back of their net. With the win, North Park has already reached their win total from the entire 2019 season.
Final: Vikings 1, Foresters 0
What's Next?
The Vikings hit the road on Sunday, September 19th when they take on the Stars of Dominican University (2-1-2). That game is scheduled for noon in River Forest, Illinois.
