Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302
Box Score
WHEATON, Ill. (Oct. 1, 2019) - Not backing down to a nationally ranked opponent and rival, the North Central College men's soccer team knocked off #19 Wheaton College, thanks to a hat trick from senior Alexis Flores. This win marks the first time since 1980 that the Cardinals have defeated the Thunder in consecutive seasons.
The Cardinals found themselves down early due to a Thunder goal in just the sixth minute of gameplay. Dillon Etter found Silas Galvao who put the ball in the back of the net to give Wheaton the early 1-0 lead. Following a few saves per side, the Thunder scored their second goal of the match as AJ Moyes netted his first goal of the season, from Alessandro D'Argento and Stafford Dowling. Wheaton took the 2-0 lead into halftime. The Thunder out-shot the Cardinals 7-4 in the first half.
Looking to put the game back in reach, the Cardinals turned up the offensive pressure as they drew a penalty kick in the 59th minute. Flores stepped up and buried the shot to give the Cardinals a fighting chance. Not satisfied with only one goal, Austin Lombardi later pushed the ball upfield to Flores who was able to deflect the ball off of the Thunder goalkeeper into the net to tie up the game at the 77 minute mark. Only one more shot was recorded as North Central would head to their fifth overtime game in just their tenth game played.
The Cardinals' attack stayed strong in the overtime period as Flores completed his first collegiate hat trick on a breakaway goal to give North Central their first and only lead of the game, which secured the Cardinals' sixth victory of the season.
The teams were closely matched across the board as North Central out-shot Wheaton 12-11, and were tied at four corner kicks each for the game. In goal, Marco Soto posted four saves over the 92 minutes played to improve his record to 6-3-1 on the year. For Wheaton, Hasten Biddlecome also made four saves in the game as he also moves to 6-3-1 in goal for the Thunder.
Looking to win their fourth game in a row, North Central hosts Benedictine University on Sunday night at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The game is set to begin at 7:00 pm.
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