McLean County Times

The Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team is set to face a significant challenge as they prepare to compete against North Park University on Saturday, October 12. The match will take place at Holmgren Athletic Complex in Chicago, with the start time scheduled for 7:30 p.m., following the Titan women's match.

Illinois Wesleyan's team has maintained an undefeated record this season, standing at 8-0-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Meanwhile, North Park holds an 8-1-4 record and is currently positioned fourth in the league standings with a 2-1-1 conference record. The Titans lead the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) due to their strong start.

Recently, Illinois Wesleyan secured their second CCIW victory by defeating Wheaton College with a score of 2-0. Goals were scored by senior Mush Bakirdan, who was named CCIW Offensive Player of the Week, and junior Logan Tierney. On the other hand, North Park achieved a win against Elmhurst University with an early goal leading to a narrow 1-nil victory.

Both teams have faced Wheaton College and Kalamazoo College this season. The Titans tied with Kalamazoo in their opener but recently defeated Wheaton. In contrast, North Park managed a win over Kalamazoo but suffered their only loss of the season against Wheaton.

Historically, since 1988, North Park leads the series against Illinois Wesleyan with a record of 27-9-3. Their last encounter ended in a tie during the CCIW tournament quarterfinals before being decided by penalty kicks.

Fans can access both live streaming and live stats for this upcoming contest through iwusports.com.