CHICAGO, Ill. -- The No.21-ranked North Park Men's Soccer controlled Wednesday night's College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament Semifinal from start to finish, defeating sixth-seeded Augustana 1-0 at the Holmgren Athletic Complex. A steadfast Augustana team tried to create long-ball, breakaway chances, but North Park broke through late to advance to the CCIW Finals in Chicago.
Junior midfielder Bastian Eikeland broke the scoreless tie with a penalty kick in the 89th minute after sophomore forward Noah Cameron drew a foul inside the box. Eikeland converted the opportunity for the game-winner, rewarding a North Park side that held a commanding 26-5 advantage in shots and placed six attempts on goal.
North Park established control immediately, producing three Eikeland attempts and three corner kicks within the opening nine minutes. Junior defender Dennis Rinne forced Augustana goalkeeper Elias Banke into his first save in the 20th minute, and Banke stopped senior forward Carson Belcher three minutes later. Cameron nearly supplied the opener in the 26th minute, but his attempt struck the left post.
Augustana looked to create offense through long, direct passes and runs behind the North Park back line, but the Vikings consistently cut out those opportunities. The visitors managed three first-half shots, with Wes Karubas firing wide and attempts by Toby Dottin and Diego San Pedro failing to reach the target.
North Park increased the pressure after halftime. Sophomore midfielder Vilmer Af Klinteberg and Eikeland forced consecutive saves from Banke in the 56th minute, while Augustana's best second-half chances came on shots over the crossbar from Dottin and wide from Jacob Roffman. Junior midfielder Oliver Marchetti Gaardman later put another North Park attempt on frame as the hosts continued searching for the breakthrough.
The decisive moment arrived with less than a minute remaining. Cameron worked his way into the penalty area and drew the foul, allowing Eikeland to step to the spot and score at 89:02. North Park then closed out the final seconds to secure the shutout. Senior forward Emil Svenander stopped the final two long ball attempts from Augie, as North Park piled onto the field to celebrate its 12th CCIW Finals appearance.
Eikeland led all players with 12 shots, while Belcher added four. Banke made five saves for Augustana, and North Park sophomore goalkeeper Arvid Skoglund earned the shutout without needing to record a save. The Vikings also held advantages of 10-4 in corner kicks and 67-33 percent in possession.
Finals in Chicago
North Park, now unbeaten in its past 17 matches, improved to 13-1-4 and will host fourth-seeded Wheaton - who advanced over 1-seed North Central, 5-3, in PKs - in the CCIW Tournament championship on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Holmgren Athletic Complex.
