Contact: Elliott Carr, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Box Score

Oct. 8, 2016 – Thanks to an effective all-around team effort and a clean sheet from senior Goalkeeper Sebastian Garcia, the North Central College men's soccer team picked up a valuable College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) victory over  the Millikin University Big Blue on Saturday afternoon at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, defeating them 1-0.

Garcia's contribution was invaluable, as he recorded six key saves and denied the Big Blue any chance of getting on the scoreboard.
The first half was evenly-matched, and saw both teams trade shots, but neither able to find the back of the net.

The Cardinals wasted little time in looking to score, as junior forward Ryan O'Deen had a shot saved in the first minute of the game. Shortly after, senior forward John Kissel, who was dangerous all afternoon long, sent a ball wide of the goalpost.

With the scores deadlocked 0-0 at halftime, the Cardinals knew what was at stake in the second half and it was evident in their play.

In the 65^th minute, it was Kissel who would finally secure the much needed breakthrough for the Cardinals, scoring off an assist from freshman forward Alexis Flores.

Despite taking the lead, the Cardinals did not get comfortable and continued to put pressure on Millikin's defenders. In the 77^th minute  freshman forward Andreas Kristiansson had a shot blocked, while Kissel was unlucky not to take his goal tally for the game to two, when he sent a ball just over the top of the crossbar in the 86^th minute.

North Central looks to build a winning streak when they travel to Augustana on Wednesday for a CCIW matchup with the Vikings. Kickoff is at 7:30 pm, live stats can be found HERE