CHICAGO, Ill. — The North Park men's soccer team opened College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play with a thrilling comeback victory on Saturday afternoon, scoring the final two goals of the match to defeat Wheaton College 3-2 at the Holmgren Athletic Complex.
Despite controlling much of the action early, North Park found itself trailing in the 21st minute when Wheaton's Isaac Lucas finished a sprinting chance created by Cooper Falling and Ashur Eshw to put the Thunder ahead 1-0.
The Vikings continued to pressure the Wheaton defense, generating quality opportunities from freshman midfielder Hampus Fogelberg, freshman midfielder Matthew Engblom, junior defender Dennis Rinne, and sophomore defender David Tracewicz. Their persistence paid off in the 33rd minute when junior midfielder Bastian Eikeland found the equalizer. Senior forward Carson Belcher and sophomore forward Noah Cameron combined to set up the quick passes for Eikeland's third goal of the season, sending the teams into halftime tied at 1-1.
Wheaton regained the lead shortly after the break. In the 58th minute, Noah Luther converted a pass from Lucas to give the Thunder a 2-1 advantage. Lucas stayed on his feet to navigate a few Viking defenders before a sliding Lucas placed a shot in the right side of the net for the second Thunder tally.
North Park answered just over six minutes later. Following a stretch of sustained pressure that produced several corners and dangerous chances, freshman forward Gustav Finér buried the equalizer in the 64th minute off a feed from Engblom, making it 2-2.
The Vikings marched forward throughout the second half, outshooting Wheaton 19-2 after halftime. Senior defender Nico Chavez, Fogelberg, Engblom, Emil Soelscher, and Belcher all tested the Thunder defense as North Park searched for the go-ahead goal.
That breakthrough came in the 86th minute. Junior goalkeeper Melker Regland started the play with a long pass from the box, and senior midfielder Thomas Roenning delivered the final touch to Belcher, who flipped the ball into the net with four minutes left.
From there, the North Park defense prevented any shots or threats from the Wheaton offense. Senior midfielder Eduardo Cirilo played a physical defense, seemingly being in every spot of the field to cause turnovers and challenge the Thunder offense.
Wheaton received a goal and an assist from Lucas and a goal from Luther, while goalkeeper Luke McGuire recorded seven saves to keep the Thunder within striking distance.
North Park dominated the statistical battle, holding a 29-8 advantage in shots, a 10-4 edge in shots on goal, and an 8-1 margin in corner kicks. The Vikings' 29 shots were the most since a 30-spot against Elmhurst in October of 2023. Belcher finished with a goal and an assist, while Eikeland and Finér each scored. Engblom added an assist, and Cameron contributed a helper off the bench. Regland earned the victory after replacing sophomore goalkeeper Arvid Skoglund in the 79th minute and helping the Vikings close out the match. Skoglund also marked the first NPU keeper assist since the 2017 season.
What's Next?
North Park (6-1-2, 1-0 CCIW) has one more regular season non-conference match, hosting UW-Platteville (3-3-1) next Wednesday, September 30. Kickoff in Chicago is set for 7:00 PM CT.
