Contact:
Rachel Balinao, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant,
rabalinao@noctrl.edu
ALBION, Mich. (Sept. 20, 2026) - One goal was all the North Central College men's soccer team needed Sunday as the Cardinals battled through 90 minutes of rain and pressure to secure a 1-0 victory over Albion College.
Aleks Duncevic created the first opportunity of the match, sending a shot just wide of the net. Griffin French followed with a header off a North Central corner kick, but was unable to redirect the attempt on target.
Albion created a dangerous opportunity of its own on a free kick in its attacking third, sending a player into the box for a header. The Cardinals stayed tight defensively and pressured the Albion attacker into sending the attempt high over the net.
With
less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half,
Marco Costabile fired a left-footed shot that forced Albion goalkeeper Tom Veresh to come out and make the save.
Then,
the clock ran down to four remaining before halftime, Duncevic intercepted a pass between the Albion back line and was taken down inside the box, earning North Central a penalty kick. Duncevic stepped to the spot and slotted home his second penalty kick of the season to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
North Central
carried the advantage into halftime after out shooting Albion 5-1 and earning two corner kicks to the Britons' one.
Albion came out of the break with pressure, firing two shots in the opening minutes.
Emerson Loyo-Reynaga made a save on one of the attempts to keep the Cardinals in front. North Central answered on the other end as
Javi Landin fired a shot that forced Veresh into a save.
With
17 minutes remaining, the Cardinals were shown a red card and were forced to play a man down. Albion increased the pressure, but Loyo-Reynaga stood tall, making back-to-back saves to preserve the Cardinal lead.
After receiving their second red card of the game, the Cardinals were now down to nine players on the field and bringing everyone to defend behind the ball in the final two minutes.
The
North Central defense continued to absorb the pressure, including defending consecutive Albion corner kicks. Loyo-Reynaga punched one away as the Cardinals fought to protect their one-goal advantage.
After
the Cardinals received a second red card, North Central was forced to play the final minutes with nine players on the field. The Cardinals packed in defensively and held off the Britons through the final whistle to secure the 1-0 victory.
North
Central finished with 10 shots to Albion's 11, with both teams recording four shots on goal. Albion held a 7-5 advantage in corner kicks.
The
shutout marked the first of Loyo-Reynaga's Cardinal career. Duncevic's penalty-kick goal moved him into a tie for the team lead with five goals this season alongside
Joseph Sargent.
North
Central returns to Naperville for its first College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin matchup of the season, hosting Illinois Wesleyan University at 2 p.m. Sept. 26 at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
