BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament champion Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer will return to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 2023, this weekend, Nov. 15, as the Green and White travel to St. Paul, Minn. The Titans match up against first round hosts Macalester College (15-4) at 1 p.m Saturday, Nov. 15, with University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Milwaukee School of Engineering set to square off at 3:30 p.m to round out the pod.
Illinois Wesleyan (13-2-4) is making its second NCAA tournament appearance in program history, claiming the automatic bid to represent the CCIW. IWU dominated North Cental College in the semifinal round, 4-1, then took down fourth-seeded North Park University in the championship this past Saturday, Nov. 8, 1-0, at Neis Field. Macalester bypassed Gustavus Adolphus College in the semifinal before upsetting No. 4 ranked in the nation St. Olaf College, 2-1, to win its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship since 2009. In the midst of an eight-game win streak, the Scots sit at 15-4 overall, with their last loss coming over a month ago, Saturday, Oct. 4, to then-ranked No. 3 Augsburg College.
The first round match up can be viewed on the NCAA Champion Pass along with live stats available on the IWU men's soccer schedule website.
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS: IWU's 13 victories this season set a new program record in a season, surpassing the 1995 squad who posted a 12-6 record. Illinois Wesleyan last lost Wednesday, Oct. 8, against Wheaton College, who went on to win the CCIW regular season. Since the loss, the Titans have gone 6-0-2 with a goal differential of +10.
CCIW TOURNEY CHAMPS: With a strong regular season showing, IWU used a first round bye in the CCIW Tournament to set up a semifinal match with North Central. IWU flew past the Cardinals, 4-1, fashion behind three unanswered goals from juniors Faheem Munjahid and Matthew Perchik and freshman Daniel Smazil. After upsetting top-seeded Wheaton College, 2-1, North Park advanced to the championship to face off against the Titans. Junior Joey Rodino connected on the game-winning goal to make it 1-nil via a penalty kick to which came off a handball in the box to send the Titans to the NCAA Tournament
POSTSEASON PRAISE: The Green and White saw three Titans receive All-CCIW accolades, announced by the league office Friday, Oct. 31. Junior forward Ryder Coleman earned first team honors while senior goalkeeper Sam Kedzior and senior midfielder Jerry Smazil garnered second team praise, as IWU picked up its most all-conference picks since 2019.
After leading the IWU attack with 11 league points, Coleman was selected to his first-ever All-CCIW honor as the lone Titan on the first team. Playing in all eight conference matches, Coleman notched four goals and three assists. The Bannockburn, Ill. native bagged two braces on the year.
Kedzior solidified his spot as one of the best goalkeepers in the CCIW with another strong year in net for the Titans. Kedzior, a second team selection in 2022, chased down the all-time saves and wins records on his way to pushing his career marks over 250 saves and 30 wins.
Co-captain Jerry Smazil rang in second team honors after captaining Illinois Wesleyan to a five-win conference season. Smazil serves as an integral part, both offensively and defensively, for the Titans as evidenced by his over 600 minutes on the pitch. His grit and hard-nosed style of play in the midfield commonly led Illinois Wesleyan down the field on attack or thwarted opponent's efforts defensively. Smazil appeared in all eight league matches with his one assist coming on the game-winning goal against North Park University, Saturday, Oct. 11.
KING KEDZIOR: Senior goalkeeper Sam Kedzior etched his name into the Titan history books, setting a new all-time saves record, surpassing Adam Wachholtz who garnered 264 saves. Currently, Kedzior rests on 281 career saves to go along with his program-best 31 wins, accomplished on the last day of the regular season Wednesday, Oct. 29, against Millikin. Kedzior sits second on the Titan all-time career shutouts list (16) two back from Wachholtz. Kedzior and the Titan defense have stumped opposing offenses, containing them to one goal-or-fewer in each of the last eight games.
MATCH UP WITH MACALESTER:. The Titans heard their name called to St. Paul, Minn. to face pod hosts Macalester College, the champions from the MIAC. The Scots and Titans have never battled on the pitch, making Saturday's showdown the first in the history of the match up. The winner of IWU-MC will take on the other battle in the pod between UW-Eau Claire and MSOE
LYONS DEN: Sophomore Ben Lyons recorded a strong non-conference showing with 12 points including five goals in nine contests. The Orland Park, Ill. native tacked on another goal and two more assists in conference play to share the team lead in goals with six. Lyons' 16 total points sits second on the Titans points list for the season.
RYDING IN STYLE: Illinois Wesleyan's attack, for the second year in a row, is led by junior Ryder Coleman. On the year, Coleman collected a pair of braces en route to six goals and six assists. Coleman's 18 points lead the Titans, and a mark of a career-high after totaling 14 a season ago. In the final four matches of the regular season, the First Team All-CCIW member recorded four points to help the Titans capture its best regular season finish in the CCIW.
NO NEIS, NO PROBLEM: The Green and White finished the regular season a perfect 6-0-3 away from Neis Field. It is the first time in program history the Titans have finished the regular season unbeaten on the road. IWU kicked off the season on a four-game road trip including a sweep at the JR Hoe Invitational in Louisville, Ky., topping Spalding and Centre The Titans then took care of buisness at Blackburn College and Eureka College before kicking off the CCIW four-game road slate.
BALANCING THE BOX SCORE: Along with Ben Lyons and Jackson Coleman, junior Matthew Perchik used a strong second half of the season to place himself atop the Titans offense. In 15 matches, Perchik charged up the Titans points list with goals against North Park and Elmhurst, with his last coming in the CCIW semifinal against North Central. The hero of the CCIW Tournament Championship match, Joey Rodino, is no stranger to the big moment. Rodino sits fourth in points and leads the team in game-winning goals. The junior transfer, from Division I Eastern Illinois, has accumulated 11 points via four goals and three assists.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS: Just two years removed from its first ever NCAA tournament appearence, the Titans return with a much more experienced group. Fourteen members of the 2023 CCIW Tournament Championship run return for the 2025 trip, including starting goalkeeper Sam Kedzior. Along with Kedzior, Titan stalwarts of Ryder Coleman, Matthew Perchik, and co-captains Jerry Smazil and Nick McCully return to lead this version of the Green and White.
CAPTAINING THE SHIP: Co-captains Jerry Smazil and Nick McCully guided the winningest team in school history. The two have led the Titans to 34 wins over their four years. Smazil. To go along with his 2025 All-CCIW selection, Smazil has earned USC All-Region Fourth Team (honors in 2024) and Academic All-CCIW as well as 2023 & 2024 Smazil was selected to the CSC All-District team. McCully ushers the Titan defense, which has allowed one goal-or-fewer in every match since Saturday, Oct. 11. McCully saw action in all 18 matches a year ago, and has started 16 of them in his senior season.
PRESEASON DOUBT: Illinois Wesleyan was predicted to a fifth-place ranking in the CCIW preseason poll with 31 points, in the nine-team league. The Green and White were able to knock off the preseason favorite, North Park, twice, and added wins over North Central and a draw at Carroll to its ledger. The Vikings accumulated all eight first-place votes with 64 points and featured the No. 8 ranking in the week one United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll.
HOMETOWN HEROES: The IWU squad has five different student-athletes from the the Bloomington-Normal area. Logan Tierney, Dillon Tierney, Gavin Young, Jayden Orrick all hail from Bloomington, Ill., while freshman Cassius Sharp is a native of Normal, Ill.
BAND OF BROTHERS: Family ties run deep for the Green and White with a pair of brothers on the team. Freshman Daniel Smazil and senior Jerry Smazil reign from Downers Grove, Ill. Daniel has been a bright spot for the Titan offense recording five goals and made his first career start Wednesday, Sept. 24 at Eureka. Bloomington natives, senior Logan Tierney, and sophomore Dillon Tierney, also share the brother connection. Dillon, a transfer from North Central, has appeared in five games, while his older brother, in his final year, has posted 10 points including a career-best four assists.
FEELING FRESH: Head coach Kyle Schauls brought in a big freshman class (14) with five of the making their first collegiate starts. Five freshman have recorded points for the Titans with Daniel Smazil leading the charge with 10 points. Hunter Reinberg leads freshman in starts with 15.
