CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park University men's soccer team will close out the 2025 regular season on Wednesday night at home, October 29, when they host Carthage College at the Holmgren Athletic Complex. A de-facto College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament play-in game, a win keeps the Vikings fourth in the conference standings while a loss knocks them out of the playoff picture.
The Vikings (8-6-1, 3-4 CCIW) enter the match following a narrow 2-1 loss to North Central, a game in which they outshot the Cardinals 22-8 and dominated possession but were undone by a second-half penalty kick. Junior midfielder Angel Arismendiz netted his first goal of the season off a header assisted by junior midfielder Mathias Soerum, while sophomore goalkeeper Ludvig Almborg made four saves in the effort.
Offensive Leaders North Park has been led offensively by Nico Chavez and Kevin Perez, each with four goals on the season. Soerum and Vidar Rydell have been key playmakers, tallying five assists apiece. The Vikings average 1.93 goals per game, ranking fifth in the CCIW, and have outshot opponents 218-151 this season.
Defensive Backbone Between the posts, Almborg has logged over 1,000 minutes and made 51 saves. The Vikings' back line, anchored by fifth-year defender Hugo Neborg and sophomore defender Eduardo Cirilo, has helped limit opponents to just 1.40 goals per game, fourth-best in the conference.
Scouting the Firebirds Carthage (3-8-3, 2-3-2 CCIW) is coming off a 2-0 win at Elmhurst, their second conference victory of the season. The Firebirds capitalized early with an own goal and added a first-half strike from Dennis Valle, assisted by Emmitt Hansen. Goalkeeper Aaron The earned his second shutout of the year with four saves.
Offensively, Carthage has struggled to find the back of the net, averaging just 1.14 goals per game. Juan Ramirez and Lincoln Ponce lead the team with two goals each, while Hansen has contributed a team-high three assists.
Kickoff under the lights of the Holmgren Athletic Complex is set for 7:00 PM CT.
