The Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team is set to compete for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) tournament championship. The Titans, marking a historic moment as the first sixth-seeded team to reach the final in conference history, will face Carthage College's Firebirds. The match is scheduled for Saturday, November 4 at 7 p.m. at Art Keller Field in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
In their previous game against Wheaton College on Wednesday, November 1, the Titans advanced to the championship through a penalty shootout. They initially led with two goals within six minutes but allowed Wheaton to score three times over the next 70 minutes. Illinois Wesleyan equalized with ten minutes remaining in regulation time, bringing the score to 3-3.
The game proceeded into overtime with no further goals scored during twenty additional minutes of play. The Titans emerged victorious in a penalty shootout by a margin of 7-6 after nine rounds. Sophomore Sam Kedzior was instrumental in this victory, making ten saves during regular play and stopping three out of nine penalty kicks.
Illinois Wesleyan currently holds a record of 5-6-5 overall and is 3-3-2 within conference matches. Their opponents, Carthage College's Firebirds, boast an overall record of 11-5-2 and are 4-3-1 in league action. Carthage secured their spot in the final by defeating North Central College's Cardinals with a double-overtime win of 4-3.
When these teams last met on September 23 for their CCIW opener, they ended with a draw at one goal each. Historically since their first encounter in 1995, Illinois Wesleyan has won seven times against Carthage but has yet to secure a victory over them during CCIW tournament play.
The winner of Saturday’s match will be crowned CCIW tournament champions and will earn an automatic bid to participate in the NCAA tournament.
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