BLOOMINGTON, Ill.- The Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team caps off its Homecoming weekend with a battle against North Park University Saturday, Oct. 11. The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin tilt is part of a doubleheader with the IWU women's soccer team and will serve as the second half with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. 

Illinois Wesleyan will celebrate the 1995 men's soccer team as part of Homecoming weekend as the program celebrates the team's 30th year anniversary. The 1995 squad, led by then head coach and current senior associate athletic director Tony Bankston, posted a 12-6 overall record that included a 5-1 CCIW mark. The season is considered to be one of, if not the best, in program history, while that group also established a strong foundation for the program to build on.

IWU enters with a 1-1 conference record and 7-2-2 overall, most recently dropping a one score match to Wheaton College. Wednesday, Oct. 9, saw the Titans fall behind early against the Thunder, with a pair of junior Ryder Coleman (Bannockburn, Ill- Deerfield) goals to drop a 3-2 contest. The Bannockburn, Ill. native drilled his first goal off a pass which ricocheted off his chest and booted it past the goalkeeper with his left foot. His second came with time dwindling in the second half, Coleman retrieved a pass in the middle of the box, turned, and fired it past the goalkeeper.

The Titans offense has been boosted by Coleman who shares the lead, with sophomore Ben Lyons (Orland Park Ill.- Carl Sandburg), for team points (12). Lyons leads the club in goals with five, as Coleman follows with four. Coleman also leads the team in assists (4), slightly ahead of junior Joey Rodino's (Palatine, Ill.-Fremd) three. 

Defensively, the Titans were bombarded with shots against the Thunder, a thing they have stumped out early in the year. Senior goalkeeper Sam Kedzior (Cary, Ill.- Cary-Grove) stopped seven shots, and on the year has palmed 41. His goals against average is among the best in the CCIW at 1.02.

North Park was considered the favorite for a CCIW Regular Season Championship, but stumbled out of the gates. The Vikings hold a 7-3 (2-2 CCIW) record with losses against Augustana and Wheaton. Last time out, the formerly ranked No 7. NPU used a late free kick with a couple seconds remaining to knock off Elmhurst University, 2-1, at Longhorst Field Wednesday, Oct. 7. The Vikings have four players tied for the team lead in points with eight apiece. Bastian Eikeland and Kevin Perez rank second in the CCIW in goals (4). 

In the history of the matchup, dating back to 1988, the longtime division foes have matched up 41 times with North Park holding a 20 win advantage record at 29-9-3. Last season, North Park swept the two meetings and put a halt to the Titans season with a 4-nil victory in the CCIW Tournament. IWU's last triumph over NPU came in 2023 at the CCIW Tournament when the Titans advanced on PK's, 7-6. 

Saturday's homecoming match can be seen via iwusports, and followed along with live stats here. Kickoff is set for 3:30 and will precede the women's match at Neis Field.