Men’s Soccer gives #7 North Park (Ill.) tough battle in 3-2 loss
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| #7 North Park (Ill.) (2-0-0, 0-0-0) | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Ohio Northern (1-2-0, 0-0-0) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Team Stats
#7 North Park (Ill.)
| Game Statistics | #7 North Park (Ill.) | Ohio Northern |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 9 (7) | 13 (6) |
| Saves | 4 | 4 |
| Fouls | 10 | 9 |
| Corner Kicks | 4 | 7 |
| Offsides | 1 | 1 |
By Wes Mayberry
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's soccer team gave No. 7 North Park (Ill.) a tough battle in a 3-2 loss on Sunday afternoon at Kerscher Stadium.
The Vikings improve to 2-0-0 on the season while dropping the Polar Bears to 1-2-0.
Northern's two goals came from sophomore Tanner Locke (Canton, Mich./Salem) and fifth-year senior Levi King (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central).
Christian Vaaland, Vidar Rydell and Tobias Lunde netted goals for North Park.
The Polar Bears were playing their third game in a four-day span and their second game against a nationally ranked opponent.
Battling a steady rain, ONU got on the scoreboard first with a goal from Locke assisted by fifth-year senior Bryan Kern (Rocky River) in the 15th minute.
The Vikings proceeded to take a 2-1 edge into halftime, though, as Vaaland and Rydell each found the back of the net to close the opening half. Vaaland's goal came in the 19th minute, and Rydell scored his in the 35th minute.
North Park made it a 3-1 game on Lunde's goal in the 72nd minute, but the Polar Bears had an answer.
ONU was awarded a penalty kick with just over 12 minutes remaining, and King capitalized by sending his shot attempt past Viking goalkeeper Alfred Sward to cut the deficit to one.
The Polar Bears attempted a pair of shots over the final nine minutes but were unable to tie the score.
Senior Josh Ellis (Whitehouse/Anthony Wayne) made four saves in goal for Northern, which finished with a 13-9 edge in shots and 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.
The Polar Bears return to action on Friday when they host Kalamazoo (Mich.) at 7 p.m.
