Chicago, Ill. -- The Wheaton men's soccer team took to the road for the first time in conference play on Saturday night, as the Thunder traveled into the city to face longtime rivals, North Park University. The competitive fixture looked to be headed towards its first tie since 2019, but a goal from leading scorer Luke Vander Kolk in the 87th minute secured a dramatic and significant win for Wheaton. Tonight's victory marks the Thunder's third success in a row over the Vikings, and each of Wheaton's last three road wins over the Chicago club dating back to 2021 have come via thrilling late winners. Vander Kolk's goal extended his scoring streak to six-consecutive games and maintained the Thunder's perfect start to CCIW play. The defending regular season champions' record is now 6-2-3 and 2-0 in league competition, while preseason favorites North Park are 6-3-0 and 1-2 in conference action.

The Vikings began their Homecoming fixture with demonstrable attacking intent, firing off three shot attempts in the first six minutes and drawing an impressive diving save from Jack Krahel. The graduate goalkeeper (pictured right) was called on again in the 21st minute, and while the Thunder enjoyed their first spell of offensive pressure shortly after, it took 40 minutes for the visitors to register their first effort on target. Isaac Lucas and Jack Kern each came close to opening the scoring in the final minutes of the first half, but the NPU goalkeeper passed these examinations and the opening period ended scoreless.

North Park again came out of the locker room with offensive determination, carving out two corner kicks and a pair of shots within the first four minutes of the second 45. But Wheaton slowly began to assert control over proceedings following the opening ten minutes of the half, and from that point on, the Vikings only managed one more shot on goal in the remainder of the contest. Kern, Lucas, Cooper Falling, and Craig Rusin all tried their luck with shot attempts, and Vander Kolk directed his first effort on frame in the 74th minute in the middle of a series of corner kick opportunities for the Thunder.

This set piece prevalence would eventually prove decisive, as Wheaton netted the game's only goal from a corner kick with less than four minutes left on the clock. Rusin delivered the in-swinger into the North Park box, and Falling was the first to meet his cross, nodding the ball down to Vander Kolk at the near post. The junior striker displayed his positional awareness and quick reflexes once again to immediately steer the ball into the Vikings' net with a sharp first-time finish that stunned the Holmgren crowd and set off ecstatic celebrations on the Wheaton sideline.

Vander Kolk's sixth-straight game on the scoresheet matches Marshall Hollingsworth's impressive streak from 2015 and pads his lead in this year's CCIW scoring table with ten goals and four game-winning goals. Vander Kolk also leads all conference players with 22 total points thus far in 2025.

North Park had no answer in the final three minutes of regulation, and Wheaton calmly saw the game out without allowing another shot attempt to secure a vital three points and repeat its trick of recent escape acts in the Windy City.

32 total shots were attempted in Saturday's low-scoring affair, but each side only managed to put four efforts on target. North Park took six corner kicks to Wheaton's five and saw 54% of the possession this evening but could not find a way through the Thunder's stubborn defense, as the visitors picked up a third-consecutive shutout and became the first team this fall to keep the Vikings scoreless. Tonight's rivalry match was unsurprisingly chippy, with 27 fouls called and seven yellow card cautions handed out between the two squads.

Krahel made four saves in the Thunder net to earn his third-straight clean sheet, and his total of four shutouts this season is joint-most in the CCIW. Vander Kolk put both of his shot attempts on goal and was Wheaton's only player to register multiple efforts on frame, while Kern and Lucas were responsible for the team's other two shots on target tonight. Falling and Rusin each earned an assist on the game-deciding goal and lead the Thunder with four assists this year, as Rusin has tallied three in the past two games alone.

Thanks to tonight's late winner, Wheaton is one of three CCIW teams that still own a perfect mark in league play, and the Thunder's next match will come against another one of these sides, the Illinois Wesleyan Titans. Wheaton's travels continue with a trip to Bloomington on Wednesday for an important conference contest that kicks off at 7 PM.