ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The 25th-ranked North Park University men's soccer team continued its strong start to conference play on Saturday, defeating Augustana College 2-1 on the road at Thorson-Lucken Field. With the victory, the Vikings improved to 8-1-2 overall and 2-0 in the CCIW, remaining the conference's only unbeaten team.
North Park controlled much of the match from the opening whistle, outshooting the hosts 23-8 and holding an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal. Augustana goalkeeper Elias Banke kept the game scoreless through the first half with several key saves, stopping attempts from defender Dennis Rinne, forward Gustav Finér, and forward Noah Cameron.
The Vikings broke through in the 61st minute when Cameron found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, putting North Park ahead 1-0. Cameron snagged a rebounded shot off a defender, skipping a low shot in to break the scoreless tie.
North Park continued to pressure the Augustana defense throughout the second half. Midfielder Hampus Fogelberg and forward Carson Belcher each generated scoring opportunities, but Banke repeatedly came up with saves to keep the deficit at one.
The insurance goal arrived in the 83rd minute when forward Leon Ottesen came off the bench and scored his first goal of his career to double the Vikings' advantage to 2-0. Otteson steadied in the goal box before cleaning up a loose ball, finishing in the lower left corner for the two-goal advantage.
Augustana answered four minutes later as Wes Karubas finished a chance off an assist from Chris Dingle in the 87th minute, cutting the North Park lead to 2-1 and setting up a tense finish.
The Vikings held firm over the final minutes, with goalkeeper Melker Regland making all three of his saves in the second half to preserve the victory.
Rinne, Cameron, Fogelberg, and Finér paced the North Park attack with three or more shots each, while Regland earned the win in goal as the Vikings secured their second straight conference victory and maintained their position atop the CCIW standings.
North Park leaves Rock Island having won its ninth-straight match.
What's Next?
North Park (8-1-2, 2-0 CCIW) hosts Carthage (2-7-1, 0-3 CCIW) next Wednesday, October 7. Kickoff at Holmgren is set for 7:00 PM CT.
