Neis Soccer Field | Illinois Wesleyan Titans
Neis Soccer Field | Illinois Wesleyan Titans
The Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer team is set to open its 2025 season with a home game against Simpson College on Friday, August 29. The match, scheduled for 5 p.m. at Neis Field, marks the first contest of the year for all Titan sports.
Illinois Wesleyan was picked to finish eighth in the CCIW Preseason Coaches' Poll. The team's roster includes six newcomers, alongside ten sophomores, three juniors, and four seniors.
Head coach Oz Bakirdan enters his fourth season leading the program. He will be joined by assistant coach Mustafa Bakirdan, his son and a recent Illinois Wesleyan graduate who played for the men's soccer team. Assistant coach Caelyn Bieterman (nee Steffens) also returns; she was an All-American player for IWU from 2019-2022 and earned CCIW Offensive Player of the Year honors three times.
Senior Bree Cordray will continue as team captain this season after starting all 17 games last year in midfield. Sophomore Liza Wiley is also back after earning Second Team All-CCIW honors as a freshman and leading the Titans in scoring.
Illinois Wesleyan and Simpson have faced each other five times since 2001, with both teams holding two wins and one draw. Simpson won their most recent meeting last season in Indianola, Iowa.
Live statistics and streaming links are available for fans wishing to follow Friday's game.
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