Contact:
Rachel Balinao, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant,
rabalinao@noctrl.edu
Sep. 5, 2026 - North Central College men's soccer battled through a physical matchup in Milwaukee, Wis., and came away with a 1-0 victory over Milwaukee School of Engineering, fueled by Joseph Sargent's first-half penalty kick.
The
Raiders created the first opportunity of the game, sending a shot just high of the net within the opening two minutes. In the 13th minute, MSOE was called for a handball in the box, setting up a penalty kick for the Cardinals. Sargent stepped up to the spot and buried the attempt in the back of the net, giving North Central an early 1-0 lead.
In
goal for North Central,
Vincent Stanislao made two low saves to keep the lead for the Cardinals. Possession continued to go back and forth, with the Raiders getting two more shots off, both of which sailed high.
Both
teams struggled offensively in the first half to generate consistent scoring opportunities, with MSOE leading in shots 6-2 while both teams recorded two shots on goal. The aggressive matchup also featured multiple fouls, with North Central recording six and MSOE nine.
To start the second half, Sargent opened the offensive attack after receiving a high pass over the backline, ripping a shot just high off the open net. The Raiders created opportunities of their own on the other end, with one shot being blocked by
Lorenzo Monticelli.
Marco
Costabile nearly doubled North Central's lead after picking up the ball outside the box, but his shot narrowly missed the right upper 90. The Cardinals continued to apply pressure, as
Javi Landin forced Raiders goalkeeper Christian Dershem into a leaping save off a set piece. Moments later on the next play,
Aleks Duncevic collected the ball after a corner kick was batted away and fired a shot toward Dershem, who made another save to keep the Raiders within one. On
the other end, Stanislao punched out a high cross to get the Raiders out of their defensive end.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, the teams traded multiple free kicks but saw no action toward either net. MSOE had one final opportunity in the closing seconds, but the shot was blocked by the Cardinals as North Central held on for the victory.
In
the match, the Raiders led in shots 11-6, while the Cardinals led in shots on goal 4-3. The teams combined for five corner kicks, with MSOE leading 3-2. The physical match also featured 38 total fouls, with North Central recording 20 and MSOE 18.
North
Central will play its first home match inside Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Ill., on Sep. 9 at 7 p.m. against Beloit College.
