WHEATON, Ill. -- The fourth-seeded North Park Men's Soccer team upended the top-ranked Wheaton Thunder in a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Semifinals match on Wednesday night. After going down 1-0, the Vikings netted consecutive goals to vault into Saturday's conference championship match.
North Park had an early chance when junior midfielder Mathias Soerum drew a foul in the box, on the Thunder goalkeeper, just 90 seconds into the match but the ensuing penalty kick of stymied. The Vikings accounted for the first shots of the match before Wheaton's Luke Vander Kolk fired a shot nearly 17 minutes in. However, Wheaton struck first in the 23rd minute when Kyle Johnson capitalized on a deflected cross, tapping in the shot that nipped the NPU defense. However, North Park responded just 46 seconds later. Junior midfielder Mathias Soerum jumped on a cleared corner and rifled a one-touch shot into the lower right corner, putting all of his weight into the hard shot to level the match.
The second half belonged to North Park sophomore forward Bastian Eikeland. In the 59th minute, the midfielder curled a free kick from just outside the box and inside the right post, putting North Park ahead 2-1.
Sophomore goalkeeper Ludvig Almborg stood tall in the final 30 minutes, making four crucial saves to preserve the lead.
Wheaton had its opportunities with late corner kicks and deep throw ins but North Park's defense held firm, withstanding the Thunder's pressure.
The Vikings outshot Wheaton 21-10 and earned nine corners to the Thunder's three, handing Wheaton its first loss to a CCIW opponent in 2025.
Top Players
North Park
Wheaton
- Kyle Johnson - Scored Wheaton's lone goal
- Jack Krahel - Goalkeeper with 6 saves, including a penalty kick stop in the opening minutes
- Luke Vander Kolk - Registered 3 shots
What's Next?
North Park (10-6-2) advances to the CCIW Championship match at Illinois Wesleyan this Saturday, November 8. Kickoff in Bloomington at Neis Field is set for 12:00 PM CT.
