Contact: Sam Fretto, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Sept. 10, 2025)- Returning to action at home for the second game of a three-game home stand, the North Central College men's soccer team hosted the Benedictine University Eagles for a non-conference midweek matchup, which ended in a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night in Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. 

The Cardinals (1-0-3) came out firing with shots from Marco Costabile, Joseph Sargent, Morgan Kurseth, Will Mayer, and Griffin French, all within the first five minutes of the match. The Eagles' (1-2-1) defense was up for the offensive attack by the Cardinals, as goalkeeper Jordan Rolon picked up a save and multiple blocked shots by defenders. In the midst of an offensive attack by North Central, Rolon picked up a yellow card to give the Cardinals a free kick, which they failed to capitalize on. 

In the 38th minute, North Central gained the upper hand with an attack by Jay Umana and Sargent. Receiving a pass upfield, Umana found Sargent to the right of him and dropped the pass off to set up Sargent's third goal of the season sneaking it by a diving Rolon to take the 1-0 lead. 

The Eagles adjusted at halftime, setting up a scoring opportunity out of the gate in the second half after a yellow card administered to Kurseth in the 45th minute gave Benedictine their first shot on goal. Daniel Szalai kept control of the shot for his first save of the evening. 

In an attempt to increase their lead, North Central fired off three shots in quick succession, including two from Eltayeb Mahmoud in the 51st minute. Both missed the mark and ended the offensive possession for the Cardinals. 

Benedictine knotted the score at 1-1 in the 69th minute after a corner kick left Szalai out of the net and Kamil Bak scored off a rebound, which was assisted by Dawid Molek. North Central looked to respond in the 72nd minute with an Umana shot, which was saved by Rolon. Both teams failed to record a shot on goal in the waning moments of the game as the final score showed a 1-1 tie after 90 minutes. 

The Cardinals outshot the Eagles 25-4, with the shots on goal being a more even playing field, 5-3 in favor of North Central. Rolon recorded four saves on the evening for a save percentage of .800, while Szalai saved two shots for a .667 save percentage. Sargent scored his third goal of the season, with Umana picking up his first assist of 2025. 

The Cardinals' next opponent is the #23-ranked Illinois Institute of Technology Scarlet Hawks (3-0-0) for senior day. Kickoff is set for Sunday, Sept. 14, at 4 p.m. inside Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.