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Men’s Soccer Continues Homestand Against Lake Forest

Saturday’s showdown set for 3:30

9/19/2025 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON,Ill.- The Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team continues its five-game homestand Saturday, Sept. 20, as it welcomes Lake Forest College to Neis Field. Kickoff is set for 3:30p.m.

Illinois Wesleyan is coming off a 1-1 draw against Illinois College Wednesday, Sept. 17 and enters the match 4-0-2 and 1-0-1 on its home turf. The Titans and Blueboys featured an aggressive match, which saw IWU lead for most of the game. IC equalized the score in the 60th minute, which stood for the remainder of the match.

Sophomore sensation Ben Lyons (Orland Park-Carl Sandburg) was the lone goal scorer for the Titans against IC. Lyons' knack for goal scoring has carried the Titans' offense, as he increased his team leads in points (12) and goals (5). He also leads the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin in points and goals.

In 523 minutes between the pipes, senior Sam Kedzior (Cary, Ill-Cary-Grove) has allowed six goals and garnered 17 saves with a save percentage of .739. Kedzior recorded his first shutout of the season on Saturday, Sept. 13 vs Kalamazoo.

Lake Forest makes the journey south enjoying a 6-0 start to the season, with its most recent win over CCIW foe Elmhurst 4-1, Wednesday Sept. 17. The Foresters resume features one top-25 win, knocking off then-ranked No. 23 Illinois Institute of Technology.

Junior midfielder Peter Cirbo is the leading points getter for the Forresters with 13 on five goals and three assists. The goalkeeper position has been a revolving door for Lake Forest. They feature four goalies who have all tallied at least 90 minutes. Sophomore Kyle Demmon and junior Andrew Swacha have split the starting duties, with each starting three games a piece.

Saturday's meeting between the Titans and Foresters is just the fourth all-time, as Lake Forest holds a slim 2-1 advantage in the three contests. The series dates back to 2019 before the teams met again in 2023 and 2024. Illinois Wesleyan and Lake Forest have alternated locations for the home-and-home series.

IWU will try to spoil the Foresters win streak on Saturday with kickoff at Neis Field set for 3:30 p.m. The action can be followed on iwusports.com.

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