McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team secured a decisive victory over Blackburn College with a 5-0 win on Sunday, September 8. This result improves IWU's record to 2-0-1, while Blackburn falls to 0-2-3.

IWU took control of the game early, scoring four of their five goals in the first half. Junior Logan Tierney and sophomore Faheem Mujahid each contributed two goals, while sophomore Ryder Coleman added one more.

Senior Devyn Kennedy assisted Mujahid's opening goal just four minutes into the match. A quick pass and a deflection off the goalkeeper's hand allowed Mujahid to score easily. After a goalless period of 30 minutes, Tierney capitalized on a free kick from senior Declan Nugent to score his first career goal with a diving header.

Coleman followed three minutes later with his first collegiate goal, assisted by Tierney. His precise right-footed shot narrowly missed the goalkeeper's gloves before finding the net. Tierney scored again just before halftime, bringing IWU to a 4-0 lead.

In the second half, Mujahid outmaneuvered two defenders for a one-on-one with Blackburn's goalkeeper, ultimately chipping the ball over for IWU's fifth goal.

IWU dominated in shots with a 24-2 advantage and assisted on each goal. Tierney concluded the match with five points from his contributions.

All three of IWU's goalkeepers participated in the game. Junior Sam Kedzior started and played for 62 minutes before sharing duties with junior Brayden Gemaehlich for 21 minutes and freshman Tyler Balon for the remainder of the contest.

The Titans will host Rockford University in their next nonconference matchup on Friday, September 13 at Nies Field, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.