CHICAGO, IL (September 11, 2006) – The North Park University men\u2019s soccer team made a strong case over the weekend to break into the ranks of the Top 20 NCAA Division III squads in the country.
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\nThe Vikings, who are ranked No. 4 in their region, took two home matches against teams highly regarded nationally. On Friday, North Park shut out Hope College 1-0, and the Vikings defeated No. 25 Calvin College 2-1 on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Viking forward Mike Colago, a junior transfer from Bethany Lutheran College, scored all three goals and needed just minutes to make his offensive prowess known to both teams.
\nColago scored against Hope with just 4:25 having elapsed. He was even more expedient on Saturday, when he found the back of the net at 3:48. He also scored at the 67-minute mark. He would have scored a third time against Calvin but rocketed a shot off the left post.<\/p>\n
The Vikings dominated Calvin from the outset, applying constant offensive pressure. Near misses brought the home crowd to its feet on several occasions. Calvin\u2019s only score came on a penalty kick as the result of an incidental hands contact and was the first against North Park (4-0) in the regular season.<\/p>\n
Both matches were physical and penalty filled. Five yellow and one red card were handed out Saturday, and six yellows on Friday.<\/p>\n
The Vikings next take on Milwaukee School of Engineering at 7 p.m. Wednesday.<\/p>\n
In football action, North Park\u2019s new football head coach, Scott Pethtel, says he wants the Vikings to establish the run this year, but on Saturday night, it was Benedictine that kept carrying the ball.<\/p>\n
The Eagles, coached by 1972 North Park alum John Cooper,\u00a0 ran the ball 67 times for 334 yards on the way to a 22-7 victory over the Vikings. They passed the ball nine times, completing four for 63 yards.<\/p>\n
Twenty of Benedictine\u2019s 23 first downs came on the ground. Despite losing two of their four fumbles, the Eagles maintained possession of the ball for two-thirds of the game, 41 minutes to 19 minutes.<\/p>\n
The Vikings struggled throughout the night, garnering 110 yards of total offense on 41 plays.\u00a0 North Park held Benedictine to a 22-yard field goal in the opening quarter, but the Eagles scored 13 in the second quarter on two touchdowns. The extra point attempt on the second touchdown missed.<\/p>\n
Benedictine (1-1) scored on a 29-yard pass with a little over two minutes left in the third quarter, but the Vikings blocked the extra point attempt to make the score 22-0. The Vikings touchdown came on a 7-yard run by Justin Schwan with 6:27 to go in the game. Jesse Reyes knocked in the extra point.<\/p>\n
In other North Park sports action:<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The women\u2019s soccer team couldn\u2019t have had a more varied record over the past week, with a win, a tie, and a loss. The Lady Vikings dominated Marion 7-0, heavily out shot but still came away with a 1-1 tie, and then lost to Albion 4-0. The Vikings are a young team, with less than a handful of juniors and seniors.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The women\u2019s cross country team was led by first-place finisher Hannah Landecker to a 23 to 32 victory over Trinity Christian College. The freshman recorded at time of 19:15:00, the sixth fastest in North Park history, and a personal best for Landecker. Sophomore, Tiffany Schwartz, finished meet runner up in a time of 22:11.00, a 1:48 improvement over her 2005 time.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The men\u2019s cross country team finished 3rd in its own Ted Hedstrand Invitational. The race was held on its official new course, which runs through the Foster Forest Preserve. Working with the Cook County Forest Preserve office. \u201cOne of the things that made me proud is how our runners helped clean up the fields and improve the trails during our pre-season,\u201d says coach Elliott Nott. \u201cThey have really taken ownership of this course and we\u2019ll continue to make improvements for next years events.\u201d\u00a0 Some of these events may include a summer community race series, another Ted Hedstrand Invitational and high school meets.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Having lost many of its top players from last year, North Park fell to 1-7 over the weekend in volleyball action. New head coach Coley Johnsen has taken over for Sue Zimmer, who left the position to be the North Park athletics facilities director while remaining associate athletic director. Johnsen was a coach and administrator for the Kane County Juniors Volleyball Club. She also coached the sophomore team and serving as a varsity assistant at Geneva High School.<\/p>\n