CHICAGO, Ill. -- The No. 16-ranked North Park Men's Soccer team needed just one goal to beat the Elmhurst University Bluejays, 1-0, on Wednesday night.
North Park drew an early chance when a push towards the goal led to a corner kick opportunity for sophomore midfielder Vydar Rydell. Rydell played the corner short and after a quick back-and-forth from sophomore midfielder Mathias Soerum and Rydell, a chip into the box found the head of freshman defender Dennis Rinne, who scored his second goal of the season in the 13th minute.
North Park kept the pressure with consecutive shots on goal in the 17th minute by fifth-year midfielder Jostein Blindheim and Rydell. Blindheim put another shot on target in the 29th minute while freshman midfielder Bastian Eikeland fired a shot saved in the 35th minute.
The final shot on goal was a near miss in the 42nd minute when junior forward Angel Arismendiz headed a pass off the crossbar, but the 1-0 score would stand through the first 45.
Elmhurst had just one shot on target in the first half but manufactured more opportunities in the second.
Despite a more aggressive push, that featured four Bluejays receiving yellow cards, North Park's defense would secure the Vikings' seventh shutout and fourth shutout win of the season.
Quick Hits:
- Goal for Rinne - his second score of the season
- Assists to Rydell and Soerum - their fourth and fifth, respectively
- Sixth shutout for freshman goalkeeper Ludvig Almborg
- NPU with nine corner kick chances, including seven in the first half
- Vikings total 16 shots including 11 on target
What's Next?
North Park (8-1-4, 2-1-1 CCIW) hosts Illinois Wesleyan (8-0-2, 2-0-0 CCIW) for a Homecoming game this coming Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Holmgren Athletic Complex. The Vikings and Titans, who received votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches National Top 25 Poll, will kick off at 7:30 PM CT.
