BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team will wrap up its 2022 regular season slate Saturday, Oct. 22 with a tough road test against 23rd ranked North Central College. The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin duel is set for 3 p.m. inside of Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium on the campus of NCC and will serve as the nightcap with the IWU women's soccer team, which is set to take on the Cardinals at noon.

Entering the crucial conference contest and with a spot in the CCIW Tournament on the line, the Titans sport an overall record of 6-7-2 (3-4-0 CCIW), while the Cardinals own an impressive 12-0-4 (5-0-1 CCIW) clip.

As of Friday, Oct. 21, the Green and White are sitting in sole position of sixth-place in the conference standings with one match to play, just one win better than Carroll, who still has two conference contests remaining. On the flip side, NCC has already clinched a spot in the CCIW Tournament. The full list, that includes the up-to-date CCIW standings, can be found here.

Saturday's clash will mark the 38th all-time meeting between the conference foes that dates back to the 1986 campaign. The all-time series has proven to be balanced, as NCC owns the slim 18-14-5 series advantage. The Titans welcomed a five-match winning streak from Oct. 2006-Oct. 2010. However, recent history has been in the favor of NCC, who has won the previous two matchups. IWU's last victory came on Nov. 6, 2019, in the CCIW Tournament, to send the Titans to the league championship.

The Green and White last took to the pitch Wednesday, Oct. 19 in a key match against Elmhurst. In the must-win battle, IWU enjoyed a 1-0 halftime lead on a Bluejay own goal in the 26th minute. That own goal would be all that the Titans' needed, as freshman Sam Kedzior (Cary, Ill.-Cary Grove) posted his first-career shutout with six saves to preserve the 1-0 victory. 

NCC also last competed on Wednesday, Oct. 19. The Cardinals took on Millikin and defeated the Big Blue with a final score of 4-0. North Central led 1-0 at the break and tallied on three more scores in the second 45. 

In the conference standings, for CCIW only contents, senior Dane Hoare (Chicago, Ill.-Von Steuben) and sophomore Declan Nugent (Naperville, Ill.-Neuqua Valley) are both tied for fifth with one game-winning goal apiece. 

For the year, junior Gavin Smith (Seattle, Wash.-Eastside Preparatory School) tops the team with 11 points, 24 shots, and 12 shots on goal. 

Kedzior has accumulated 720 minutes in between the posts this season, starting eight straight matches. On the year, the Cary Grove, Ill. native leads all IWU goalkeepers with a 1.50 goals against average, 41 saves, and three wins. 

Live stats and live video will both be available. Live stats can be found by clicking here, while the live video feed can be viewed here.