McLean County Times

After a series of nine non-conference games, the Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team will begin its College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) schedule with an away match at Carthage College. The Titans currently hold a 6-1-2 record and remain unbeaten on the road with four wins and one draw. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Illinois Wesleyan's defense has been effective recently, recording shutouts in their last two matches. Senior Sam Kedzior was named CCIW Defensive Player of the Week after stopping nine shots across games against Eureka College and Wabash College, lowering his goals against average to 0.79. This is his fifth career weekly honor and his first this season.

The defensive unit, led by senior captain Nick McCully alongside seniors Kalabi Kamau and junior Jackson Colman, has limited opponents' scoring opportunities. Over the past six matches, the team has allowed no more than one goal per game.

On offense, Illinois Wesleyan scored seven goals over its last two games. Senior Logan Tierney led with four points during the week, including a goal against Eureka and two assists in a 4-0 win over Wabash.

Juniors Joey Rodino and Faheem Mujahid each contributed three points, with both players scoring once and providing an assist. Rodino’s goal against Wabash came from a set play involving freshman Hunter Reinberg and junior Ryder Coleman. Mujahid’s goal occurred after a sequence that included headers from Rodino and Coleman during the Eureka match.

Carthage enters this contest having played one CCIW match—a 4-4 draw with Millikin on September 27—and holds a 1-4-2 overall record (0-0-1 CCIW). The Firebirds lost their most recent game 3-0 to the University of Chicago. Junior midfielder Juan Ramirez leads Carthage in scoring with four points from two goals against Millikin. In goal, senior Aaron The has started six matches, allowing eight goals while making 32 saves; he recorded eight saves in the loss to Chicago.

Historically, Carthage leads the all-time series between these teams with a 22-9-2 record over 33 matches. From 2004 to 2022, Carthage won all but two contests against Illinois Wesleyan; however, since 2023 Illinois Wesleyan has not lost to Carthage, posting two wins and one draw. Their most recent meeting saw Illinois Wesleyan come back from a three-goal deficit to win 5-4 in Bloomington.

The men's game will be played as part of a doubleheader at Art Keller Field beginning at 7 p.m., following the women's match scheduled for 4 p.m.