Contact: Matthew Eaker, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, mreaker@noctrl.edu 

AURORA, Ill. (Sept. 28, 2022) - The North Central College men's soccer team took a short trip to Aurora University Wednesday for a non-conference matchup. The Cardinals found themselves out in front early but watched their lead evaporate as the Spartans scored in the final seconds to shock the Cardinals. 

The high powered Cardinal offense showed up early in Wednesday night's contest as Jacopo De Collibus lined up for a free kick and sent a strike past Antonio Herrera to give the Cardinals a one goal lead just two minutes into the game. The Spartans would respond in the 15th minute as Nick Willner slipped past the Cardinal defense, putting one past Sid Marquardt to tie the game up at one. Both offenses would halt until the 27th minute when Aidan Westerberg would finish off a pass from Branden Collins to regain the Cardinals lead. The Cardinals and Spartans defenses would hold strong and with seconds remaining in the first half, Edoardo Bonifacio found a gap in the Spartans defense but his shot was swallowed up by Herrera, sending the Cardinals into halftime with a 2-1 lead. 

The Cardinals were looking to extend their lead in the second half and in the 46th minute, Jack Fairwood sent a strike on net but his shot was saved by Herrera, eliminating the Cardinals scoring opportunity. Aurora seemed to tie the game up as Gio Villegas sent a strike on net but his shot hit the left post, keeping the Cardinal's 2-1 lead intact. In the 58th minute, De Collibus slipped past the Aurora defenders and sent a shot to the lower right corner of the net but Herrera was there to shut down the scoring chance once again. The game was at a standstill until the final seconds of the second half when Marquardt was issued a yellow card for time wasting, giving the Spartans one last opportunity to tie the game. Eduardo Carrillo lined up for the corner kick and found Alex Rivera in front of the net, putting a shot past Marquardt to tie the game at two with just seconds remaining. The Cardinals tried to rush down the field to allow themselves to score but it wasn't enough as they left the Spartan Athletic Complex with a 2-2 draw. 

The Cardinals are back in action on Sunday as they take a trip up Chicago Avenue to Benedictine University for their final non-conference matchup of the season. The action is set to start at 5 pm inside the Village of Lisle-Benedictine Sports Complex. 

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