ANGOLA, Ind. -- The North Park men's soccer team continued its defensive dominance Saturday afternoon, rolling to a 3-0 victory over Trine University at Shive Field. The Vikings extended their unbeaten streak to six matches while recording their fifth consecutive shutout, improving to 4-1-2 on the season.
North Park controlled the match from start to finish, outshooting the Thunder 19-2 and earning 10 corner kicks while never allowing Trine to generate sustained attacking pressure.
The Vikings threatened early, piling up nine first-half corner kicks and forcing Trine goalkeeper Brandon Walker into several saves. Freshman midfielder Hampus Fogelberg tested Walker in the 34th minute before North Park finally capitalized on another set-piece opportunity.
After a corner kick in the 37th minute, sophomore defender David Tracewicz opened the scoring. Senior defender/midfielder Nico Chavez delivered the service that found Tracewicz, who buried his second goal of the season to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.
North Park struck again just 92 seconds later. Junior midfielder Anton Daläng set up junior defender Dennis Rinne for his first goal of the season, doubling the advantage to 2-0 and putting the Thunder on their heels heading into halftime.
While the score reflected a comfortable North Park lead, the Vikings' back line arguably told the story of the match. Trine managed just one shot in the opening half, a 21st-minute effort from Tyler Niemi that was handled by sophomore goalkeeper Arvid Skoglund.
The Thunder looked for a spark early in the second period when Diego Herrera forced another save from Skoglund in the 51st minute. That proved to be Trine's final shot of the afternoon.
North Park responded five minutes later with the game's final goal. Sophomore forward Noah Cameron helped create the opportunity before freshman forward Gustav Finér finished the play in the 57th minute, pushing the lead to 3-0. The goal was Finér's second of the season.
The Vikings continued to press for more, generating quality chances from senior midfielder Thomas Roenning, senior forward Carson Belcher and Finér throughout the second half. Walker made six saves to keep the deficit from growing larger.
North Park's defense remained organized and composed over the final half-hour, limiting Trine to just two shots and no corner kicks. Skoglund finished with two saves across 79:43 before junior goalkeeper Melker Regland took over for the final 10:17 to help preserve the clean sheet.
Tracewicz, Rinne and Finér scored the Vikings' three goals, while Chavez, Daläng and Cameron each recorded assists.
What's Next?
North Park (4-1-2) hosts UW-Whitewater on Wednesday, September 23. Kickoff at Holmgren is set for 7pm.
