“We have a great problem in that we have a lot of good players,” Born says. The coach is entering his ninth season at the school and says this year’s squad is the deepest he’s coached.
That’s saying a lot. The Vikings reached the Top 20 last year for the first time in the school’s history, amassed a 14-3-2 record, and a notched their third-straight regular season championship in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). The team also made its second straight appearance in the national tournament.
D3Kicks.com has ranked the Vikings No. 17 in their preseason poll. A CCIW coaches poll predicts the Vikings to finish second behind Wheaton, which of course, the Vikings take issue with.
The team will return several leaders, including senior Isaac Lee, a second-team All-American midfielder. Lee has had an educational summer. He practiced with the first string of the Chicago Fire, the city’s Major League Soccer franchise. He also trained with the South Korean Olympic team, of which he is a member. Unfortunately, the Vikings will be without his services until at least mid-September due to a recent illness, Born says.
Senior Matt Bond returns as team captain. “He’s been given a lot of leadership responsibilities, and he’ll do well with that,” Born says.
The team has added five transfers and eight freshmen. “All of our new players are really talented,” Born says.
To give players more experience as well as retain the recruits, Born may develop a reserve team that would play five or six games against other schools. The players still would be available to compete with the regular team, if they are needed.
Simply putting talented athletes on the field isn’t enough, however; Born also will need to determine the best combination of players. “Chemistry always is a challenge, and it’s something you can’t foresee,” he says.
In several games last year, the team took numerous shots but had difficulty putting the ball in the net. Born says the added depth at forward should improve the team’s scoring. He expects the defense to be as stingy as in previous seasons.
The biggest hole to fill will be the one left by the graduation of goalkeeper Austin Person, a third-team All-American. Born has yet to determine Person’s replacement.
The players don’t feel the pressure to succeed, but they are hungry to improve and prove that they deserve to be the top-ranked CCIW team in the coaches’ poll. “No matter how many accolades our team is given, our team still feels like the underdog,” Born says.
The coach says the fans, as much as the players, have him looking forward to the season. The Vikings made the top five in attendance among Division III NCAA schools for the 2006 season. North Park garnered 6,580 fans—600 a game—far exceeding attendance at many larger programs.
“I think that’s more rewarding than the honors we’ve received,” Born says. “We have the greatest fans. They make this such a great environment to play in.”
North Park opens the 2007 home schedule September 12 at 7 p.m. against Concordia University.
