CHICAGO, IL (November 10, 2010) – The North Park University men’s soccer team will take on Hope College of Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament this weekend.

This is the Vikings’ third trip to the national tournament since 2005. Leading the team will be head coach John Born, who was named Tuesday as the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Coach of the Year, and Kris Grahn, the CCIW Player of the Year. In addition to Grahn, five other players earned First Team All-CCIW honors – the most in school history.

Rather than focusing on individual honors, however, the Vikings are preparing for their Friday match against Hope, which will be held at UW-Oshkosh in Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m. (CDT) Friday.

North Park (12-4-2) earned the spot in the tournament after defeating No. 1 seed Wheaton College in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tournament championship game 3-2 in overtime Saturday. The Vikings are the only CCIW team in the tournament.

Hope (13-5-2) earned its spot in the tourney by earning a share of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship. The winner of the North Park-Hope contest will face the winner of the UW-Oshkosh (16-0-3)-Carroll University (12-6-1) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. That contest’s winner will advance to a four-team sectional November 19-21.

Information on the entire tournament as well as the Vikings’ progress can be found on the official NCAA Division III men’s soccer page.