CHICAGO, Ill. -- With a roster filled with several new faces after graduating 14 seniors, the North Park Women's Soccer Team entered the season with a fresh start – looking to improve from their last two season records of 6-10-1 in 2024 and 2-9-5 in 2023. This game was a great opportunity for Head Coach Emma Woodley to evaluate the 12 incoming players and for them to get their feet wet, with 8 of those players being freshmen
In their season opener the Vikings hosted the Eagles of Benedictine University, a common opponent for many of North Park's teams. The Vikings enjoyed a 5-1 home and season-opening win as sophomore midfielder Julia Önnerheim became the first Viking to register a hat trick since Sam Moreno during the 2019 season.
North Park started fast with a goal with a goal from Önnerheim, one of their four returning starters, in the third minute of the game. The Eagles struggled to maintain possession of the ball for most of the first half due to the Vikings' keeping the ball on the Benedictine side of the pitch, rattling off 15 shots, 7 of those on goal.
The first half concluded with North Park taking a 2-0 lead after junior forward and returning starter Caroline Sjøstedt found Julia Önnerheim for her second goal of the first half at the 44:20 mark.
North Park continued their attack getting up to 26 shot attempts by the halfway mark of the second half. Around the 62nd minute, senior midfielder and returning starter Stine Lie connected with freshman Sofia Svensson, a fellow midfielder for the Vikings' third goal of the match. Shortly after, Benedictine's sophomore forward Alaina Hernandez made a heads-up play by getting in the way of North Park's goal keeper's kick after one of her saves. As a result, the ball ricocheted off Hernandez's leg and into the goal for the Eagles' first score of the match, making it a 3-1 game.
In the 65th minute, the only other returning starter, junior midfielder Maja Applequist assisted Önnerheim for her third goal of the match earning her the hat trick for the game. Her three goals tonight match her total from the entirety of last year.
At 4-1, the Vikings had full control of the match over the Eagles, when in the 78th minute Stine Lie was fouled inside the Eagles' box, earning herself a penalty kick where she extended the North Park lead to 5-1.
That would end up being the final score of the match, starting the North Park season off on a high and boosting their confidence as they head into their next game traveling to #22 Illinois Institute of Technology on Sunday, August 31st at 3pm.
