WHEATON, Ill. -- The Vikings men's soccer team settled the score with Wheaton in the Semifinals of the CCIW playoffs, knocking out the #2 seeded Thunder by a score of 2-0. The sides' last matchup on October 22 went to Wheaton in a 1-2 contest, ultimately representing the tie-breaker that established NPU as the #3 seed and the Thunder as the #2.
NPU's defense completely shut down the Thunder attack, allowing just one shot on goal throughout the game's 90 minutes and none through the final 70. That lone effort in the 21st minute was saved by GK Sebastianas Uribe on his way to a clean sheet.
North Park's first score came just before that on a 20th minute penalty kick by Isak Flo. Wheaton's Brock Seneff committed a foul to send Flo to the spot, and the senior striker connected for his third playoff goal to make it a 1-0 NPU lead.
That score held until the 64th minute, with Flo this time earning the assist on Tobias Lunde's goal. Flo made a touch pass in the box over to Lunde who slotted the shot into the lower left corner of the net, earning a 2-0 Vikings lead that would eventually go final.
What's Next?
With the victory over Wheaton, NPU advances to the CCIW Finals to take on the #1 seeded and nationally 10th-ranked North Central Cardinals. The Cardinals went undefeated in conference across the regular season, their lone blemish being a 2-2 tie with the Vikings on October 12. The rematch gets underway on November 5 at 1:00 PM CST, with NCC hosting in Naperville.
