Maureen Harty Executive Director | College Conference Of Wisconsin And Illinois
Maureen Harty Executive Director | College Conference Of Wisconsin And Illinois
North Park and Illinois Wesleyan advanced to the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men’s Soccer Championship Final after winning their respective semifinal matches on Wednesday night.
Fourth-seeded North Park overcame top-ranked Wheaton with a 2-1 victory. Wheaton took an early lead in the 23rd minute when Kyle Johnson scored following a sequence from teammates Jones and Falling. North Park responded less than a minute later, as Mathias Soerum finished a one-touch strike into the lower right corner after a clearance by Wheaton goalkeeper Jack Krahel. The Vikings dominated the first half in shots, leading 12-3, and entered halftime tied at 1-1.
The decisive goal came in the 59th minute when Bastian Eikeland converted a curling free kick from just outside the box, giving North Park a 2-1 advantage. Goalkeeper Ludvig Almborg made four saves in the match, including stops against Isaac Lucas, Luke Vander Kolk, and Jack Kern to maintain the lead for North Park.
Second-seeded Illinois Wesleyan defeated third-seeded North Central with a score of 4-1. The Titans controlled much of the first half and broke through just before halftime when Logan Tierney scored off an assist from Elsworth McIntosh. North Central’s Vincent Stanislao recorded seven saves in the first half, while IWU’s Sam Kedzior stopped five shots.
Early in the second half, Joris Rijnja equalized for North Central with help from Aleks Duncevic. However, Illinois Wesleyan quickly regained control as Matthew Perchik put them ahead again in the 61st minute. Additional goals from Daniel Smazil and Faheem Mujahid secured IWU's win.
Illinois Wesleyan finished with more total shots (24-18) and shots on goal (13-10), while both teams had three corner kicks each.
The final will take place at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Neis Field on Saturday at noon. This marks North Park’s third appearance in four years and Illinois Wesleyan’s second trip to the final in three seasons; it is also IWU's first time hosting the championship match.
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