CHICAGO, Ill. -- The 2025 edition of North Park Women's Soccer heads towards opening day with "an entirely different team" as Head Coach Emma Woodley faced the tall task of replacing a senior class of more than a dozen Vikings. However, a few pivotal starters and an incoming class that's ready to fill in aim to help the Blue & Gold compete on the North Side.
Coach Woodley welcomes back two of her top three point scorers in junior midfielder Maja Applequist (Morton Grove, Ill. / Niles West) and junior forward Caroline Sjøstedt (Nesøya, Norway / Nesbru). Applequist was one of just four Vikings to start in all 17 games last season in her All-CCIW sophomore year. She tied for the team lead with three assists, second with three goals, and was fifth on the team with 11 shots on goal.
"Maja is a very important all-conference returner for us," said Coach Woodley. "She's an extremely important part of our offense and had a great preseason."
Sjøstedt has also showed well in her two seasons with the Vikings and is positioning herself to have her best year yet. Last season, she was third on the team with eight points from three goals scored and a pair of assists. She was second on the team with 14 shots on goal and registered two shots on goal in six different games.
"Caroline is hard for defenders to deal with and she's stronger than ever this year," said Coach Woodley. She's an extremely dynamic player that's already had some success and we believe after watching the scrimmages that she's taken another jump."
"These seniors will play a huge role," Coach Woodley continued. "They've all stepped up and will make a huge difference this season."
That senior group Coach Woodley mentioned is Sjøstedt, midfielder Stine Lie (Lier, Norway. / Norwegian School of Elite Sports, defender Arianna Lopez (Chicago, Ill. / Jones College Prep), goalkeeper Paige MacRitchie (Geneva, Ill. / Geneva Community), and forward Olivia Cox (Lund, Sweden / Polhemskolan).
Lie transferred in from Central Methodist University last season, starting in 11 games. She tied for the team lead with three assists and found the back of the net in the season opener at Benedictine (Aug. 30). Cox and Lopez have both appeared in bursts of action, helping NPU direct action in the middle of the field and along the backline.
MacRitchie was another player Coach Woodley mentioned by name. She started twice last season, saving 17 of 19 shots to log a 1-1-0 record in goal. She had an eight-save shutout in the Vikings win at Kalamazoo on September 21.
"Paige is a very strong goalkeeper and another player that had a great offseason," said Woodley. "She's a versatile keeper with strong leadership skills and we're thrilled to have her back there directing and supporting what's likely to be a freshman backline."
The Vikings also welcome back point scorers from 2024 in sophomore midfielder Julia Önnerheim (Höllviken, Sweden / Sundsymnasiet), junior midfielder Hannah Björkegren (Lidingo, Sweden / Östra Real), and sophomore midfielder Selma Rydberg (Ystad, Sweden / Ystad). Önnerheim logged seven points for the Vikings last year thanks to three goals and an assist. She logged nearly 1,000 minutes of time on the field and put a dozen shots on frame. Björkegren had the Vikings' lone goal in a close 2-1 loss to Augustana and added a pair of shots on goal at Millikin last year. Rydberg made 14 appearances in 2024, assisting on a goal at Kalamazoo. Her freshman season saw just over 400 minutes of field time, tallying three shots on target.
Coach Woodley and company brought in 11 new players for the 2025 season that "have already played at a high level".
"Many of these girls already played at a premiere level both in the States and with our Scandinavian players," said Woodley. "We believe they're going to make that transition smoothly. It's tough to fill in the gaps with some many players graduating last year, but an entirely different team can bring a renewed energy. These freshmen have shown well in our scrimmages and what we've seen so far makes us believe they won't be overwhelmed at the collegiate level."
North Park opens its season at home against Benedictine University on Friday, August 29. The Vikings will kickoff against the Eagles at 7:30 PM CT, following the men's game at 5:00 PM CT.
