DECATUR, Ill. -- The North Park Vikings continued their momentum to a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) championship on Saturday, scoring four first-half goals in a 5-2 victory over Millikin University at Frank M. Lindsay Field. The win extends North Park's unbeaten streak to 15 matches and secures the Vikings a top-three finish in the CCIW standings. With one conference match remaining, North Park needs one more victory to clinch at least a share of the league title.
North Park (11-1-4, 5-0-2 CCIW) wasted little time taking control. Junior defender Dennis Rinne opened the scoring just 1:11 into the contest, netting his third goal of the season when the Big Blue keeper could not handle a Viking free kick, leading to the cleanup shot from Rinne. Freshman forward Gustav Finér doubled the advantage in the 11th minute with his seventh goal of the year, putting the Vikings ahead 2-0. Finér received a long ball from Rinne in the right side of the box, stepped left past a defender, and tucked a shot into the lower-right corner for the two-goal lead.
Millikin (8-8-1, 3-5 CCIW) nearly found a response midway through the half as Kyle Grasse rattled the crossbar after an earlier save by North Park sophomore goalkeeper Arvid Skoglund, but the Vikings continued to overwhelm the Big Blue.
Senior forward Carson Belcher pushed the lead to 3-0 in the 27th minute on an assist from sophomore midfielder Vilmer Af Klinteberg. Af Klinteberg then capped a dominant opening half by scoring in the 45th minute, sending North Park into halftime with a commanding 4-0 advantage.
The Vikings added another tally in the 63rd minute when Belcher struck for his second goal of the match and sixth of the season, assisted by junior midfielder Bastian Eikeland, making it 5-0.
Millikin refused to go quietly. Grasse broke up the shutout in the 66th minute and added a second goal nine minutes later off a feed from Luke Butler, but North Park managed to keep the all-important three-goal margin in the win.
North Park outshot the Big Blue 28-11 and held a 17-6 advantage in shots on goal, their most on target since a win at Augustana in 2022, where the Vikings put 22 on frame. Finér led the attack with nine shots, seven of which were on target. Belcher finished with two goals, while Rinne and Af Klinteberg added one apiece. Af Klinteberg also recorded an assist for a three-point afternoon.
Skoglund made three saves to earn the victory, while Millikin goalkeeper Joshua Garrett kept the Big Blue in the match with 12 stops.
What's Next?
The Vikings return to action Wednesday when they host Carroll University (5-10-1, 3-3-1 CCIW) in their final regular season game, looking to extend their unbeaten streak and, more importantly, secure a CCIW title.
