CHICAGO, IL — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's soccer team lost to North Park 2-1 on Wednesday. The Vikings, who are receiving votes in the most recent USC poll, scored early in the game, but
Hayden Saul (Iowa City, Iowa/Liberty) equalized in the second half. NPU had the final goal, taking the lead in the 68th-minute for good.
UWW fell behind early in the game with a goal in the first 10 minutes from Gustav Finér for the Vikings.
Austin Waite (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) followed with a save on Finér's shot less than a minute later. The Warhawks were able to push back with a sustained attacking stretch, getting a saved shot from
Cade Mansfield (Greenville, Wis./Hortonville) at 10:11, two attempts from
Aidan Glancey (Milwaukee, Wis./Whitnall) and a corner kick between the 14th and 18th minutes.
NPU committed five fouls from 23:39 to 29:34, but UWW could not turn that stretch into an equalizer.
Kian Delaney (Oak Forest, Ill./Victor J Andrew) added a late shot in the 39th minute, and UWW went into halftime trailing 1-0.
The Warhawks opened the second half with a quick response, In the 48th minute,
Luke Konrad's (Buxtehude, Germany/Buxtehude Sued) initial shot was blocked, but
Hayden Saul (Iowa City, Iowa/Liberty) collected the rebound to put the ball in the net for the equalizer.
The Vikings answered with pressure of their own, and Waite made several saves before Gustav Finér scored his second goal of the night from at 68:05 to put UWW behind 2-1.
UWW then played through a physical stretch for the next 10 minutes that included 10 combined fouls and cards. The Warhawks pushed late with five shots in the final 10 minutes, as
Nil Calvo Alsina (Barcelona, Spain/Parkview),
James Kiraly (Twin Lakes, Wis./Wilmot Union) and Glancey forced saves before Saul hit the top woodwork, but NPU kept the 2-1 score through 90:00 for the final result.
Austin Waite (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) made six saves in 90 minutes, with five coming in the second half.
The Warhawks return to action on Sunday, September 27th against Elmhurst. Kick-off is set for 7 PM Sunday evening.
