Minneapolis, MN -- Thursday, North Central University (NCU) Men's Soccer hosted the Bethel University (BU) Royals in their home opener. Today's game was played at nearby Parade Park Field due to the Rams' home field (Elliot Park Field) undergoing turf repairs. Despite both being located in the Twin Cities, this was the first meeting between these two programs since 2015. Things didn't get off to a hot start for the Rams as they surrendered two goals to the Royals in the first 2 minutes of action. Although they tightened their defense significantly from that point on, the Rams could not mount any sort of comeback and would lose 3-0. 

The game opened at a furious pace, with Bethel striking twice in the opening two minutes to grab firm control. North Central looked to settle in and responded by tightening its defensive shape, forcing several difficult shots that required quality stops from goalkeeper Trystin Procyk. Procyk turned away multiple close-range attempts, keeping the Rams within striking distance. As the half progressed, NCU began to generate looks of their own. Freshman Steven Griffith forced a save with a well-placed shot in the 34th minute, followed shortly by fellow freshman Christian Longo-Schumer, whose effort was also denied. The Rams went into the break trailing 2-0 but carried momentum from their late offensive push.

North Central continued to build opportunities after halftime, with Steven Griffith firing off two shots in the opening minutes of the second half. The Rams nearly broke through when Samuel Tivane Jr. tested the goalkeeper in the 56th minute, only to see his effort denied. Freshman Michael Dagher added another scoring chance late in the match, further signaling NCU's persistence on the attack. On the other end, the Rams' defense and goalkeepers were tested heavily. Freshman keeper Derick Stevens took over in net for NCU to start the second half and came up with a key stop in the 55th minute. Together, North Central's goalkeeping duo combined for eight total saves on the night, keeping the Rams within reach despite being outshot 18-7 and facing an 11-1 corner kick disparity. The Royals secured the 3-0 win at the end of regulation. 
 
Looking Ahead:

Up next, the team heads to Indianola, Iowa to take on Simpson College for a road matchup next Monday at 5:00pm.

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