McLean County Times

Illinois Wesleyan University’s men’s soccer team will recognize its senior players during a home match against Elmhurst University on Saturday, October 17 at Neis Field. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.

The Titans enter the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) contest with a 9-2-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in conference play. The program will honor seniors Peter Basta, Brayden Gehmaehlich, Kalabi Kamau, Sam Kedzior, Nick McCully, Cristian Schmidt, Jerry Smazil, Logan Tierney, and Lucas Tran for their contributions over their collegiate careers. This group has been part of 30 wins and played key roles in securing the team’s first CCIW Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023.

On Wednesday, October 16, Illinois Wesleyan secured a 2-1 win against Augustana College. Senior Kalabi Kamau contributed two assists from free kicks. Freshman Hunter Reinberg scored in the 11th minute and added an assist in the second half. Senior goalkeeper Sam Kedzior made four saves during the match.

Juniors Ryder Coleman and Ben Lyons currently lead the Titans in points with 12 each. Lyons has five goals while Coleman has four. Junior Matthew Perchik follows with four goals and ten points.

Kedzior leads the CCIW in goals against average at 1.015 and ranks second in shutouts with two this season. He has recorded all nine of the team’s wins with a .794 save percentage.

Elmhurst arrives in Bloomington on a three-game losing streak with a record of 4-9-2 overall and sits eighth in the CCIW standings. Freshman Klaus Gartner leads Elmhurst with nine points from three goals and three assists. Junior goalkeeper Niyen Ruffin has allowed 23 goals this season and holds a .681 save percentage after making 49 saves.

Illinois Wesleyan holds a narrow advantage over Elmhurst in their series history, leading 10-8-4 across twenty years of matchups. Their last meeting ended in a 1-1 draw on October 19, 2024. The Titans’ most recent win over Elmhurst came in Kedzior's first career shutout during the teams' last meeting at Neis Field in 2022.

Saturday's match will follow the women’s game scheduled for earlier that day. Fans can access live statistics and streaming information through the men's soccer schedule page at iwusports.com.