CHICAGO, Ill. -- The No. 21 North Park men's soccer team claimed its sixth College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament championship on Saturday afternoon, defeating Wheaton 4-2 in a penalty kick shootout after the teams battled to a 3-3 draw through 110 minutes at Holmgren Athletic Complex.
The victory extends North Park's unbeaten streak to 18 matches and secures the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Wheaton struck first in the 21st minute when Luke Vander Kolk finished a scoring chance on a 40-yard long ball from Ashur Eshw and Samb Brown to give the Thunder a 1-0 lead.
The Vikings answered quickly. Junior midfielder Bastian Eikeland found the equalizer in the 27th minute, converting a pass from freshman forward Gustav Finér to knot the match at 1-1.
North Park grabbed its first lead of the day late in the opening half. Senior forward Emil Svenander finished a chance in the 42nd minute off assists from sophomore midfielder Vilmer Af Klinteberg and freshman midfielder Hampus Fogelberg, sending the Vikings into halftime with a 2-1 advantage.
The Vikings added to their lead in the 59th minute when Af Klinteberg scored off an assist from Svenander, pushing the cushion to 3-1.
Wheaton refused to go away, cutting the deficit to one in the 70th minute on a goal from Reuben Bos before drawing even just over five minutes later when Cooper Falling found the back of the net to make it 3-3.
Neither side could break through for the remainder of regulation or in either overtime period despite North Park holding a 25-16 advantage in shots and a 10-6 edge in corner kicks.
The conference championship came down to penalty kicks.
Eikeland and Fogelberg converted North Park's first two attempts before freshman midfielder Emil Soelscher added another successful kick. Junior goalkeeper Melker Regland entered specifically for the shootout and delivered two crucial saves for the Vikings.
With the title on the line, senior forward Carson Belcher stepped to the spot and buried the decisive penalty kick, touching off the celebration as North Park secured the conference crown.
Eikeland led the Vikings with five shots and a goal, while Af Klinteberg and Svenander each recorded a goal and an assist. Finér added an assist in the championship victory.
The tournament title is the sixth in program history for North Park and sends the Vikings into the NCAA Tournament.
What's Next?
North Park (13-1-5) awaits the "when and where" of the 2026 NCAA Men's Soccer Championships, with hopes of hosting the first and second round matches at Holmgren. Tune in to the NCAA Selection Show at 10am CT on Monday, November 9, to confirm what's ahead for NPU Men's Soccer.
