North Central College Cardinals

Contact: Rachel Balinao, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant, rabalinao@noctrl.edu 

Sep. 3, 2026 - The North Central College men's soccer team fought back twice Thursday night, using goals from three different Cardinals to earn a 3-3 draw against Benedictine University.

The Cardinals came out attacking early, moving the ball through each channel and creating opportunities in the opening minutes. Marco Costabile found himself a gap to take a shot on net, but his attempt hit the post and narrowly missed. 

North Central continued to pressure the Eagles and earned its first corner kick of the game. After the ball bounced out to Eltayeb Mahmoud, he sent a cross into the box, finding Griffin French, who rose for the header and put it away to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead.

The Eagles answered just five minutes later, playing a cross into the box and converting the leveler to make it 1-1. The Cardinals continued to control possession in the attacking third for much of the half, but the Eagles capitalized on a corner kick to take a 2-1 lead.

North Central continued to push before halftime, with French testing Benedictine goalkeeper Raul Jasso multiple times and forcing several saves. The Cardinals entered the break with an 8-4 advantage in shots and a 4-2 edge in shots on goal. 

Carrying the pressure into the second half, both teams created chances early, with Duncevic sending an attempt just over the goal. On the opposite end, Vincent Stanislao made his first save of the night. Not long after a North Central goal kick, Costabile delivered a Cardinal equalizer with his first career goal, finding the top bin to bring the score to 2-2 with 38 minutes remaining. 

The back-and-forth battle continued when the Cardinals were called for a foul, giving the Eagles a penalty kick. Benedictine converted the opportunity to claim the lead at 3-2. North Central responded quickly when Duncevic found the left upper 90 of the goal to bring the Cardinals level once again at 3-3 and keep the game within reach. 

As the clock wound down, North Central continued to search for a game-winning goal. Joseph Sargent recorded two shots, while Costabile and Sam Teeuwen also added attempts. The Cardinals fired off seven shots in the final 15 minutes but could not find the breakthrough, settling for a 3-3 draw. 

North Central finished the night with a 19-11 advantage in shots and held a 9-3 edge in corner kicks. Stanislao recorded three saves, while Jasso finished with seven for Benedictine. 

The Cardinals finish their three-game road stretch at Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sep. 5 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a 2 p.m. kickoff at Viets Field.