Dupage Policy Journal

North Park University’s women’s soccer team has taken the lead in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) standings, following wins over Wheaton and Elmhurst. Carthage remains unbeaten in league play after a 7-2 win against Illinois Wesleyan and a scoreless draw with Carroll.

Elmhurst achieved a shutout against Carroll and drew with Millikin, maintaining their position near the top of the standings. North Central, Wheaton, Millikin, and Augustana each recorded mixed results during the week, resulting in a closely contested middle section of the conference.

Caroline Sjøstedt from North Park and Erin Fitzharris from Elmhurst were named CCIW Women’s Soccer Student-Athletes of the Week on Tuesday. Sjøstedt scored once and assisted three times in North Park's 5-1 victory over Wheaton. This performance marked "the first three-assist game by a Viking against a CCIW opponent" as well as "NPU’s largest margin of victory over Wheaton in program history." Fitzharris had three saves in Elmhurst's 2-0 win over Carroll and four more saves during a 1-1 draw with Millikin.

North Park leads the CCIW standings with nine points after starting league play 3-0-0. The Vikings won at home against Wheaton (5-1) and Elmhurst (2-0). It is "the first time ever the Vikings have held sole possession of first place through multiple conference games." Junior forward Caroline Sjøstedt leads the conference with six assists while freshman Sofia Svensson ranks third for goals scored (6). Senior goalkeeper Paige MacRitchie is third in total saves (60) this season.

Carthage has maintained an unbeaten streak in conference play. The Firebirds have outscored opponents 23-18 this season, leading the conference in corner kicks taken. Goalkeeper Ainsley Stallworth holds top rankings for save percentage (.831) and has five shutouts across twelve games. Offensively, Peyton Olinski scored twice against Illinois Wesleyan last week.

North Central extended its winning streak to three matches following victories over Trine (4-2) and Augustana (5-0). The Cardinals rank second for total shots attempted within CCIW play and share the lead for assists made. Jordan Lange tops all players for points per game while Lily Mattison is among leaders for goals-against average as goalkeeper.

Wheaton sits at an even record both overall (4-4-4) and within conference action (1-1-1), focusing on defense that includes seven shutouts—second most among all teams this season. Freshman Leah Roe leads all goalkeepers with seven shutouts; Lily Lindquist leads scoring efforts for Wheaton with four goals so far.

Carroll secured four points recently by defeating Augustana before drawing Carthage scoreless; Carmella Nowak ranks seventh among CCIW players for goals scored while Brielle Ingalsbee continues to add career totals offensively.

Elmhurst remains strong defensively, allowing just nine goals through fourteen matches—fewest among all teams—and also leads overall scoring categories such as total goals scored (32). Lauren Nevins paces individual goal scorers with ten on the season; Erin Fitzharris anchors defensive efforts with six shutouts to her name.

Illinois Wesleyan posted a draw at Wheaton following defeat at Carthage last week; Liza Wiley ranks third in assists throughout CCIW competition while Keira Robinson adds consistent scoring contributions for IWU.

Millikin managed a road draw at Elmhurst but remains without a league win thus far this season despite ranking second for total saves made by their goalkeepers; Izzy Jones is fifth overall in points per game within conference statistics.

Augustana faced losses to Carroll and North Central but leads all teams in total saves thanks to goalkeeper Sara Schinker’s efforts between posts; Skylar Swanson stands out offensively among freshmen contributors.