CHICAGO, Ill., -- North Park Women's Soccer (1-1) played host to the Tigers of DePauw University (2-0) on Sunday afternoon, looking to bounce back after their loss Thursday against MSOE in their home opener at the Holmgren Athletic Complex. The Vikings were catching DePauw on the back end of their weekend in Chicago double header after they bested Concordia Chicago 1-0 on Saturday afternoon.
North Park was able to take advantage of the Tigers' tired legs, being the aggressors throughout the first half, posting 8 total shots (5 on goal) as a team and striking first in the 17th minute.
In a crowded box with the Vikings on the attack, the Tigers were called for a handball, setting up sophomore midfielder Sofia Svensson to make the match's first goal on a penalty kick.
Fifteen minutes later in the 32nd minute, senior midfielder Maja Applequist sent in a corner kick that bounced around between multiple players and fell at the feet of freshman defender Linnéa Furufors who chipped in a lefty shot between a Tiger defender and keeper.
Up 2-0, the Vikings continued their pressure both offensively and defensively, barely allowing DePauw to move across midfield and posting five total shots as a team seeing five of those on goal. Just before halftime in the 41st minute, North Park beautifully executed a push up the field as sophomore defender Tilda Karlsson sent the ball ahead to Svensson who set up junior forwarad Astrid Palmblad on her first goal of the season, sending the Vikings into the break with a 3-0 lead.
The second half was a mostly scoreless affair, but the Vikings continued to put pressure on DePauw finishing the match with 14 shots with 8 of those on goal. North Park also held a 7-3 corner kick advantage, something Head Coach Emma Woodley expressed she would like to see more of in her preseason outlook.
Svensson led the way offensively for the Vikings, not only scoring the match's first goal, but finishing with two goals after senior midfielder Selma Rydberg connected with Palmblad to set Svensson up for her second goal of the match in the 87th minute. chipping the bouncing ball in for the fourth NPU score.
Svensson finished with four shots, three on goal, two goals, and an assist in just 66 minutes of play. Fellow captain senior forward Caroline Sjøstedt had a nice afternoon as well, taking two shots with both being on target, while keeper Linn Nilsson Forsell saved the only two shots she faced on goal.
Top Performers:
What's Next?
The Vikings earn their second win of the season, beating the Tigers 4-0. They'll have a few days of rest before heading to Stagg Field to face #3 University of Chicago on Wednesday, September 9th at 4pm.
