ROCK ISLAND, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings men's soccer team delivered an electric performance on Saturday, defeating the No. 16Â North Park Vikings 5-2 at Thorson-Lucken Field in front of an energetic home crowd.
The match opened with a surge of energy as Sebastian Trujillo snuck in a header in just the third minute, finishing a cross from Javi Landin. Trujillo struck again in the 20th, this time connecting on another header from a beautiful pass-pass-goal setup by Jon-Philip Tiller and Javi Landin. Less than a minute later, Jacob Roffman took off on a long run after a feed from Javi Landin from the midfield line, breaking free and burying a strike to make it 3-0.
North Park clawed back with two late first-half goals, trimming the margin to 3-2 before the break. But Augustana responded in the second with poise. In the 57th minute, Tiller drilled a near-post strike from the left side of the box off another beautiful feed from Landin's free kick to restore the two-goal cushion. Moments later, Augustana sealed the win as Ismail Bennani calmly converted a penalty kick, sending the Augie faithful into celebration.
Landin orchestrated the attack with three assists, while goalkeeper William Gabrielsson made four saves to steady the back line. The Vikings were notably efficient on the offensive end, scoring five goals on just six total shots.
The victory not only marked a statement win for the Vikings but also their first victory over North Park since Oct. 25, 2014, when they claimed a 3-2 result on the campus of Augustana. With the win, Augie improves to 3-3-2 overall and 1-0 in CCIW play. The Vikings will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 4th, when they travel to take on Carroll.
