McLean County Times

After a challenging double-overtime match in the CCIW Tournament, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team advanced past No. 2 seed Wheaton College on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The game ended in a 7-6 penalty kick shootout following a 3-3 tie in regulation. The Titans are set to face Carthage College in the CCIW Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 4, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Titans faced significant pressure during the match as they trailed in shots with a count of 29-15 and had only one corner kick opportunity compared to Wheaton's ten. Sophomore goalkeeper Sam Kedzior recorded ten saves for IWU, while Wheaton's keeper made five saves.

The first half saw early action with the Titans taking an initial lead. Junior Jerry Smazil assisted freshman Matthew Perchik to score just two minutes into the game. A second goal followed shortly after when it was deflected off a Wheaton defender, putting IWU up 2-0. However, Wheaton responded with a goal in the 23rd minute, concluding the half at 2-1.

In the second half, Wheaton quickly equalized within five minutes of play and later took a lead with their third goal at the 74th minute mark. The Titans responded swiftly as Sasha Tylnyy scored an equalizer from Declan Nugent's assist just five minutes later, sending both teams into overtime.

Neither team managed to score during both ten-minute overtimes, leading to a penalty kick shootout where IWU emerged victorious after eight rounds with a final score of 7-6 in PKs. Kedzior made crucial saves during this phase while senior Davis Quarles' decisive penalty kick secured IWU's advancement.

This victory marks IWU's return to contend for the CCIW Championship title for the first time since 2019.