CCIW

[Gregory Sager]

NPU removes one of the other two sides undefeated in CCIW play by crushing Illinois Wesleyan, 4-0, while Carthage takes down Wheaton, 2-1, in Wheaton.

[Gotberg]

NPU removes one of the other two sides undefeated in CCIW play by crushing Illinois Wesleyan, 4-0, while Carthage takes down Wheaton, 2-1, in Wheaton.

NPU plays up in Kenosha tonight, a location that has troubled them over the years.

[tjcummingsfan]

Well, they got a result in Kenosha.  The first half NP looked like they were struggling to find a rhythm.  The second half Park dominated play, but just couldn't find that 3rd goal to take the game.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to watch the overtime periods, so I can't comment on those. 

I certainly would've liked a win up in Kenosha, but a draw still keeps them in the driver's seat as they head in to the last 2 conference games against North Central and Elmhurst. 

The next three non-conference games are a big deal, at home against Whitewater and away against Chicago and Case Western.  None of those will be easy games.  I'd be thrilled to see us go 1-1-1 in those three games, but even that may be a tall order (even if that's what Massey predicts).

[Ommadawn]

Well, they got a result in Kenosha.  The first half NP looked like they were struggling to find a rhythm.  The second half Park dominated play, but just couldn't find that 3rd goal to take the game.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to watch the overtime periods, so I can't comment on those.

I saw only the overtime periods. I was multitasking at the time, so I cannot comment authoritatively, but there wasn't a whole lot of possession during the overtime periods. North Park seemed more dangerous, but Carthage missed a golden opportunity wide during the first period and North Park cleared a point-blank shot from Carthage off the line in the last minute or so of the second period. It appeared that there was an altercation after the game that, fortunately, was de-escalated pretty quickly.

[Gotberg]

No stats or video for today's soccer game against Whitewater - what's up with that?

[Gregory Sager]

Well, they got a result in Kenosha.  The first half NP looked like they were struggling to find a rhythm.  The second half Park dominated play, but just couldn't find that 3rd goal to take the game.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to watch the overtime periods, so I can't comment on those.

I saw only the overtime periods. I was multitasking at the time, so I cannot comment authoritatively, but there wasn't a whole lot of possession during the overtime periods. North Park seemed more dangerous, but Carthage missed a golden opportunity wide during the first period and North Park cleared a point-blank shot from Carthage off the line in the last minute or so of the second period. It appeared that there was an altercation after the game that, fortunately, was de-escalated pretty quickly.

NPU played frustrated in the two overtimes, and Carthage definitely had the best opportunity for a golden goal with the play that Ommadawn mentioned. The frustration boiled over after the final horn, although from what I was told the physical aspect of the altercation started when one of the Carthage players took a swing at Ricky Pimentel.

Carthage did exactly what had to be done to prevent a defeat at the hands of a considerably more talented NPU team: a) the Red Men roughed up play, causing a lot of whistles and interrupting NPU's flow; and b) they made their set pieces count, as their two goals came off of a PK and a direct free kick in which they beautifully screened Mathias Stulen, who didn't see the ball until it was too late. Carthage's biggest strength is that their defenders have good precision when it comes to placing long balls on targeted forwards, and the Red Men certainly remain dangerous.

Thing is, though, Carthage may have peaked in that contest. The Red Men have since lost to a nondescript Millikin side on Saturday, and they are not a sure thing to make the CCIW tourney, since they're currently sitting in sixth place with a 1-2-1 record. I think that their season will come down to their two matches this week, at home against up-and-down Elmhurst (which, at 2-3 in conference, is also in must-win territory) on Wednesday, and away at surprising third-place Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday.

The next three non-conference games are a big deal, at home against Whitewater and away against Chicago and Case Western.  None of those will be easy games.  I'd be thrilled to see us go 1-1-1 in those three games, but even that may be a tall order (even if that's what Massey predicts).

UW-Whitewater (8-4-4) is down a bit, as the Warhawks have been hit by the injury bug. But I doubt that even a healthy UWW side would've been able to handle the Vikings yesterday, as NPU's passing was pinpoint and the Vikings did a great job of presenting UWW's 6'6 keeper with multiple attack vectors to consider. When they're on their game, the ball skills and speed of North Park's forwards just make it very hard for an opposing defense to handle every angle. And I say this in spite of the fact that I think that NPU's back line is actually the team's strength. Their biggest obstacle to overcome against lesser sides is losing composure when the opponent slows it down and mucks up play, as Carthage did.

NPU and UWW now have a traveling trophy, which UWW coach Tony Guinn was nice enough to donate to make the rivalry official. UWW has several trophy rivalries, and since the Vikings and the Warhawks play each other every season, they've decided to add this one. As far as I know, this is the first time that NPU has had a trophy rivalry in any sport. It's nice that North Park gets to keep it for a year to show off as a novelty on campus.

Chicago is going to be another story, of course, as the Maroons are most certainly not a lesser side. On the contrary, the South Siders have the speed and skill to match the Vikings, which they proved last season by thoroughly turning the Park into a hot mess at the defensive end. Chicago will be far and away the best side that the Vikings face in the regular season this year. We'll see if they're up to it. This contest down in Hyde Park will go a long way towards sorting out the pecking order in the NCAA's Central Region rankings.

No stats or video for today's soccer game against Whitewater - what's up with that?

NPU does not have a sports information director as of Friday. We're scrambling just to get the essentials of game management covered. Please be patient with us as we work through this.

[Gotberg]

I wasn't aware that we don't have a SID.

Sunday I was looking forward to Da Bears on the big screen and the vikings on the little one...so was a little disappointed.

[tjcummingsfan]

Wow, North Park with the win on the road at Chicago.  From what I saw, it looked like NP had control of this game most of the way.  They had many more dangerous opportunities than I saw from Chicago.  This could have easily been 3-0 or 4-0.  I was really impressed with the way NP's defence (I live in Canada, so this is the way "defense" autocorrects up here)  handled a highly touted Chicago offence. 

Greg, you'd know much better than I, is this the biggest win in NP Men's Soccer history?  Certainly those streak-breaking wins against Wheaton were, huge, but is the best win against a high ranked team?   

[blue_jays]

Wow, North Park with the win on the road at Chicago.  From what I saw, it looked like NP had control of this game most of the way.  They had many more dangerous opportunities than I saw from Chicago.  This could have easily been 3-0 or 4-0.  I was really impressed with the way NP's defence (I live in Canada, so this is the way "defense" autocorrects up here)  handled a highly touted Chicago offence. 

Greg, you'd know much better than I, is this the biggest win in NP Men's Soccer history?  Certainly those streak-breaking wins against Wheaton were, huge, but is the best win against a high ranked team?   

That's a stretch, that was a super even game with NPU controlling most of 1st half and UChicago taking back some momentum in the second half. NPU had one other legit chance at goal, all the rest were clear misses. Lopez almost scored two headers and the one that was saved right on the line woulda tied it late and sent to overtime. As someone who was there, it was extremely close in terms of skill.

[Gregory Sager]

Greg, you'd know much better than I, is this the biggest win in NP Men's Soccer history?  Certainly those streak-breaking wins against Wheaton were, huge, but is the best win against a high ranked team?   

No, those breakthrough wins a decade and a half ago against Wheaton were bigger, because: a) they put NPU on the map, soccerwise; b) they represented the Park's first-ever victories against Wheaton after two decades of humiliating losses; c) they broke Wheaton's hegemony in CCIW soccer, which had been in place since the league first added the sport in the mid-'80s; d) league matches are always more important; e) they got Wheaton's attention and ignited a rivalry that NPU had always dreamed about having, even though it is only in one sport; and f) it's Wheaton, and every win regardless of the sport is bigger when it's against Wheaton if you're NPU.

But this was certainly the biggest win NPU's recorded in a long, long time. It also represents the first time in twenty years that the Vikings have vanquished Chicago, against whom they were only 2-8-3 all-time coming into tonight's match. Most importantly, this will flip the next NCAA Central Region rankings. Chicago was #1 and North Park was #2 in the most recent ranking. (Calvin is still undefeated, but the SOS of the Knights lags well behind that of both NPU and Chicago; in fact, the Knights are currently #4, behind the two Windy City sides and Wash U.)

[Falconer]

Greg, you'd know much better than I, is this the biggest win in NP Men's Soccer history?  Certainly those streak-breaking wins against Wheaton were, huge, but is the best win against a high ranked team?   

No, those breakthrough wins a decade and a half ago against Wheaton were bigger, because: a) they put NPU on the map, soccerwise; b) they represented the Park's first-ever victories against Wheaton after two decades of humiliating losses; c) they broke Wheaton's hegemony in CCIW soccer, which had been in place since the league first added the sport in the mid-'80s; d) league matches are always more important; e) they got Wheaton's attention and ignited a rivalry that NPU had always dreamed about having, even though it is only in one sport; and f) it's Wheaton, and every win regardless of the sport is bigger when it's against Wheaton if you're NPU.

But this was certainly the biggest win NPU's recorded in a long, long time. It also represents the first time in twenty years that the Vikings have vanquished Chicago, against whom they were only 2-8-3 all-time coming into tonight's match. Most importantly, this will flip the next NCAA Central Region rankings. Chicago was #1 and North Park was #2 in the most recent ranking. (Calvin is still undefeated, but the SOS of the Knights lags well behind that of both NPU and Chicago; in fact, the Knights are currently #4, behind the two Windy City sides and Wash U.)

Incidentally, the rise of NPU soccer has taken place under a president (David Parkyn) who worked for a long time at two other soccer powers, first Messiah and then Etown. He used to live a block from Messiah's campus in downtown Grantham, if I may call it that--Grantham isn't on most state maps. I have no idea whether those dots actually connect as I sketched it, but someone here might be able to comment on it from a position of knowledge.

There are some other Messiah connections nationally where the dots definitely do connect. For example, the coaches at F&M and Eastern are former Messiah players. Those programs have flourished in recent years substantially because the coaches implemented things they learned in Grantham. Perhaps NPU, indirectly, should also be in that bucket? 

[Gotberg]

Greg, you'd know much better than I, is this the biggest win in NP Men's Soccer history?  Certainly those streak-breaking wins against Wheaton were, huge, but is the best win against a high ranked team?   

No, those breakthrough wins a decade and a half ago against Wheaton were bigger, because: a) they put NPU on the map, soccerwise; b) they represented the Park's first-ever victories against Wheaton after two decades of humiliating losses; c) they broke Wheaton's hegemony in CCIW soccer, which had been in place since the league first added the sport in the mid-'80s; d) league matches are always more important; e) they got Wheaton's attention and ignited a rivalry that NPU had always dreamed about having, even though it is only in one sport; and f) it's Wheaton, and every win regardless of the sport is bigger when it's against Wheaton if you're NPU.

But this was certainly the biggest win NPU's recorded in a long, long time. It also represents the first time in twenty years that the Vikings have vanquished Chicago, against whom they were only 2-8-3 all-time coming into tonight's match. Most importantly, this will flip the next NCAA Central Region rankings. Chicago was #1 and North Park was #2 in the most recent ranking. (Calvin is still undefeated, but the SOS of the Knights lags well behind that of both NPU and Chicago; in fact, the Knights are currently #4, behind the two Windy City sides and Wash U.)

Incidentally, the rise of NPU soccer has taken place under a president (David Parkyn) who worked for a long time at two other soccer powers, first Messiah and then Etown. He used to live a block from Messiah's campus in downtown Grantham, if I may call it that--Grantham isn't on most state maps. I have no idea whether those dots actually connect as I sketched it, but someone here might be able to comment on it from a position of knowledge.

There are some other Messiah connections nationally where the dots definitely do connect. For example, the coaches at F&M and Eastern are former Messiah players. Those programs have flourished in recent years substantially because the coaches implemented things they learned in Grantham. Perhaps NPU, indirectly, should also be in that bucket? 

Greg can probably give you better details, but I think the credit should really be given to the coach, John Born.  The program only had an upward trajectory after he arrived.

He's done a great job of recruiting quality American talent, as well as sustaining a pipeline of high level players from Sweden and Norway.   John likes to play a technical game (less physical / run and kick) style and I think that is enticing.

[tjcummingsfan]

Like Gotberg said, Greg would be able to comment better, but I too would give basically all the credit in this rise of NP Men's Soccer to Coach Born (who a few years just before David Parkyn).  My take is that it is purely coincidental that Parkyn's previous schools were soccer powers. 

[Gregory Sager]

Greg, you'd know much better than I, is this the biggest win in NP Men's Soccer history?  Certainly those streak-breaking wins against Wheaton were, huge, but is the best win against a high ranked team?   

No, those breakthrough wins a decade and a half ago against Wheaton were bigger, because: a) they put NPU on the map, soccerwise; b) they represented the Park's first-ever victories against Wheaton after two decades of humiliating losses; c) they broke Wheaton's hegemony in CCIW soccer, which had been in place since the league first added the sport in the mid-'80s; d) league matches are always more important; e) they got Wheaton's attention and ignited a rivalry that NPU had always dreamed about having, even though it is only in one sport; and f) it's Wheaton, and every win regardless of the sport is bigger when it's against Wheaton if you're NPU.

But this was certainly the biggest win NPU's recorded in a long, long time. It also represents the first time in twenty years that the Vikings have vanquished Chicago, against whom they were only 2-8-3 all-time coming into tonight's match. Most importantly, this will flip the next NCAA Central Region rankings. Chicago was #1 and North Park was #2 in the most recent ranking. (Calvin is still undefeated, but the SOS of the Knights lags well behind that of both NPU and Chicago; in fact, the Knights are currently #4, behind the two Windy City sides and Wash U.)

Incidentally, the rise of NPU soccer has taken place under a president (David Parkyn) who worked for a long time at two other soccer powers, first Messiah and then Etown.

That's not accurate. David Parkyn assumed the presidency of North Park in the fall of 2006. By that point, NPU had already broken through and won two straight conference titles and conference tourneys and made the program's NCAA tourney debut. The Vikings were on a two-match winning streak against Wheaton, which had won 16 of the first 17 CCIW titles and had amassed a 92-2-2 CCIW record along the way before North Park's breakthrough, when David Parkyn unpacked his boxes in the president's office.

He used to live a block from Messiah's campus in downtown Grantham, if I may call it that--Grantham isn't on most state maps. I have no idea whether those dots actually connect as I sketched it, but someone here might be able to comment on it from a position of knowledge.

There are some other Messiah connections nationally where the dots definitely do connect. For example, the coaches at F&M and Eastern are former Messiah players. Those programs have flourished in recent years substantially because the coaches implemented things they learned in Grantham. Perhaps NPU, indirectly, should also be in that bucket? 

No. David Parkyn was an enthusiastic supporter of North Park athletics as president, and that certainly included the soccer team. (He's the only college/university president I've ever seen who wore a genuine soccer scarf with his school's colors and emblem on it at matches. ) But I'm sure that he didn't share any soccer expertise with head coach John Born, nor would John have done anything but listen politely with no intention of taking him seriously if he had.

The only real athletics connection that NPU has had with Messiah was a negative one. The late Jerry Chaplin became Messiah's athletic director after having held the same position at North Park. I won't get into the specifics of his decision-making as North Park's AD, but, while Messiah had tremendous success (particularly on the soccer pitch) under Chaplin's tenure in the AD's office, the opposite was true at North Park. The school's signature program, men's basketball (five D3 national titles, still the standard in this division in that sport), totally collapsed into doormat status on his watch, as did the other perennially strong program on campus (baseball), and morale in the North Park athletics department was at an all-time low. He didn't have any second-hand touch with the North Park soccer program, either, which was middle-of-the-pack in the CCIW during his time on the North Side of Chicago.

He seemed like a nice guy, but his time at North Park is not remembered fondly.

Greg can probably give you better details, but I think the credit should really be given to the coach, John Born.  The program only had an upward trajectory after he arrived.

He's done a great job of recruiting quality American talent, as well as sustaining a pipeline of high level players from Sweden and Norway.

This is 100% correct. One man, and one man alone, deserves the credit for making North Park soccer what it is, and that man is John Born.

Don't get me wrong; it's not a one-man show, and other people involved with the program are important to NPU's ongoing success. F'rinstance, associate head coach Kris Grahn has played a key role in the program since he joined the staff five years ago, but NPU's success on the pitch predates him -- and a lot of NPU's success came when he was a star player under Born (Grahn was a two-time NSCAA All-American and the CCIW's Player of the Year in 2010). Given the perennial prominence of Scandinavian players on NPU's roster, it's certainly helpful to have a Scandinavian coach on staff as well (Grahn is a Swede). But he coaches everybody, not just the Scandinavians, and that's really a big part of John Born's success; he's found a way to make the Americans and the Scandinavians meld successfully both on and off the pitch, which is nearly not as easy as it sounds. By all reports, this is perhaps the most internally cohesive squad he's ever had, and I'm sure that that translates in some measure on the pitch.

John likes to play a technical game (less physical / run and kick) style and I think that is enticing.

I don't know about the "less physical" part, although the success of the Vikings has never been predicated upon mucking up matches. But, given enough big boys, NPU has certainly more than held its own in the giving and taking of bruises, too. This is actually one of his more physical Vikings outfits.

[Gregory Sager]

Like Gotberg said, Greg would be able to comment better, but I too would give basically all the credit in this rise of NP Men's Soccer to Coach Born (who a few years just before David Parkyn).  My take is that it is purely coincidental that Parkyn's previous schools were soccer powers.

Yep. And I think that David Parkyn would be the first to tell you that it was a delightful coincidence, from his point of view, that NPU played a successful and polished brand of soccer during his presidency.

John Born took over as NPU's head coach in 1999, seven years before David Parkyn's arrival as president. The season before, 1998, North Park had finished last in the CCIW (0-6-0) and had an overall record of 1-14-1. In John's first season the Vikings went 6-8-2, 1-5-0, and since then they've had seventeen straight winning seasons, with the last fifteen including double-digit wins. They're extending those streaks to 18 and 16, respectively, this fall.