The victory also avenged an overtime loss to the Knights in the opening round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.
The Vikings, who came into the match ranked No. 12, went on top when Isaac Lee scored from 24 yards out in the first half. His penalty kick deflected off a Wartburg player who was part of the Knight’s defensive wall. Jordan Gyuricza sealed the victory when he scored with 1:02 remaining.
Head Coach John Born said the Vikings had looked forward to Sunday’s match. “We were real excited to play them again.”
Born added, “I think it was a good test for us. Wartburg is a great team.”
The referee handed out nine yellow cards and put Wartburg down a player when he gave a red card to Josh Palmer for arguing a call with minutes remaining in the first half. The game was not nearly as contentious as the number of cards would indicate, however, and was played as cleanly as most.
Despite North Park’s man advantage, the score remained even until Gyuricza’s goal. Born said he was pleased the way the Vikings played the first half, but the team would have to play better than it did in the second if it hopes to advance in the national tournament.
In other sports news:
Two sophomores led the football Vikings to their first victory of the season as North Park defeated host Eureka College 33-12 in non-conference action on Saturday.
Sophomore quarterback Shelby Wood showed why North Park coaches are excited about his skills. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for one as he completed 20 of his 32 passes for 164 yards. He gave North Park a 7-0 lead when he hooked up with junior wide receiver Chris Durr for a 13-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Another sophomore, running back Kelvyn West, scored the first of his two touchdowns when he put North Park up 14-0 on an 11-yard run in the second half. Wood then connected with freshman running back BJ Chandler for a 17-yard touchdown.
West showed his speed when he capped a seven-play, 97-yard drive with a 59-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. Wood then added his eight-yard touchdown run.
West finished with 183 yards rushing on 21 carries. The Vikings (1-1) take on Rose-Hulman for a 1 p.m. contest against the Engineers (2-1).
The volleyball Vikings finished with a 3-2 record at the first-ever North Park Invite, which was held Friday and Saturday. The Vikings defeated Mt. Mary’s College (30-9, 30-23, 30-23), Knox College (30-13, 30-19, 30-15) and D’Youville College (30-26, 28-30, 30-28, 30-22). North Park won its first seven games until it dropped the second game against Illinois College, a team it eventually fell to in five games. North Park (8-6) returns to action Tuesday (tonight) when it opens the CCIW portion of its schedule with Millikin University at 7 p.m.
