Contact:Rachel Balinao, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant, rabalinao@noctrl.edu
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Oct. 14, 2026) - On Wednesday night, the North Central College men's soccer team hosted North Park University in a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin matchup between two conference opponents with identical records, finishing in a 2-2 draw.
North
Park recorded the first shot of the match, sending it wide left of the net.
Javi Landin followed with North Central's first attempt but sent the ball over the crossbar.
In
a physical opening nine minutes, the Cardinals played a ball into the box to
Joseph Sargent, who was fouled and brought down for a penalty kick.
Aleks Duncevic stepped up and converted his fifth penalty kick of the season, giving North Central an early 1-0 lead, while giving himself the lead in goals with nine CCIW individual standings.
The
Cardinals controlled much of the possession throughout the first half, but shots from
Trey Zakeri,
Marco Costabile and
Ivan Hooshmand were blocked by North Park defenders.
North Central goalkeeper
Sebastian Herrera recorded his first save in the 33rd minute, diving low to his left to deny the Vikings. Both teams finished the half with five shots, with North Park holding a 2-1 advantage in shots on goal. Herrera recorded two saves before halftime in a physical first half that featured 13 fouls and three yellow cards.
North Park came out with renewed momentum after the break, finding the equalizer three minutes into the second half. The Vikings earned a free kick in the attacking third and sent the ball into the box, where a touch past the Cardinals' defense resulted in a goal to tie the match at 1-1.
Duncevic
attempted to swing the energy back with the Cardinals with a shot on goal that was saved low left.
Following a series of fouls, a handball outside the penalty area gave North Park a free kick. Despite a Cardinals wall in front of the goal, the Vikings found the net to take a 2-1 lead with 28 minutes remaining.
North
Central responded quickly, after Duncevic drew a foul near midfield, the Cardinals took a quick free kick and switched the ball to
Griffin French. French took two touches before striking the ball on the half-volley, from 37-yards out, into the top-right bin to even the score at 2-2.
North Park pushed to regain the lead with a series of attempts following a free kick, but Herrera came up with back-to-back close-range saves.
Both teams continued to trade possession and attempts down the stretch, but neither side managed another shot on goal. The final Whistle confirmed a 2-2 draw, as North Central remains undefeated at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
North
Park finished with a 59% possession advantage and led in shots 14-12, including a 7-3 edge in shots on goal. Herrera recorded a season-high five saves for the Cardinals, compared to one for the Vikings. The physical contest featured seven yellow cards.
The Cardinals will hit the road Oct. 17 to face Carthage College in a CCIW matchup at 7:30 p.m.
