BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The No. 3 seeded Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team welcome No. 6 seeded Augustana College to Neis Field for the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin quarterfinal matchup Saturday, Oct. 31. The Titans will kickoff against the Vikings at 3:30 p.m.
Illinois Wesleyan enters postseason with a 9-2-3 overall record. The Green and White enter the quarterfinals on a three-game win streak with a 6-1 home record. On the flip side, Augustana brings a 6-4-5 record to Bloomington. The Vikings 2-2 tie against Carthage College on Saturday, Oct. 24 secured them a playoff spot for the first time since 2010.
The Titans concluded regular season play with a successful 6-2 win over Wheaton College, Oct. 24. With the help of braces by senior Faheem Mujahid (Saint Robert, Mo.-Waynesville) and junior Gavin Young (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic), IWU secured three points to guarantee a top-three seed in the tournament.
The Titans' offense is led by rookie Declan Schuler (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) and junior Ben Lyons (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg), each tallying 11 points. Schuler has made his mark on the pitch with four goals and three assists, with three goals and three assists occurring during conference play. The team assist leader, Lyons holds two goals and has assisted on seven others. Mujahid leads the team with five goals, with three Titans following behind with four goals each. All together, 11 Titans have scored a goal at least once, and 16 Titans have assisted on goals at least once this season.
The Green and White defense is anchored by seniors Jackson Colman (Pflugerville, Texas-Cedar Park) and Owen Boukalik (Northville, Mich.-Northville), and freshman Aidan Byrne (Mokena, Ill.-Lincoln-Way Central). Together, the trio has guided IWU to seven shutouts this season. Boukalik leads the CCIW in shutouts and goals against average, while Illinois Wesleyan ranks third nationally in shutout percentage.
In IWU's last meeting with Augie, the Titans downed the Vikings, 3-nil at Neis Field, Sept. 30. Goals by senior Matthew Perchik (Glenview, Ill.-New Trier) and sophomores Will Smucker (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) and Daniel Smazil (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove South), powered the victory. The Green and White outshot Augustana 32-5, with 13 shots on goal compared to Augie's three.
The Titans hold the edge in the all-time series over the Vikings at 20-18-3. IWU is currently amid an eight-game win streak against its Rock Island foes. Illinois Wesleyan, when facing Augustana on Neis, holds a 14-10-1 record on its home pitch. Saturday will mark the first CCIW Tournament clash between the two programs.
Before Wednesday's matches, North Central, North Park, and Illinois Wesleyan tied for 17 points. However, NPU would grab the CCIW regular season title and a first round by as the No. 1 seed. NCC earned the second seed in the tournament.
The six-team CCIW Tournament sees top-seeded North Central and No. 2 seed North Park earn byes into the semis. NCC and NPU shared the league's regular season title, with the Cardinals grabbing the No. 1 rank on a tiebreaker. Saturday's other quarterfinal will feature fourth-seeded Wheaton hosting No. 5 Carroll, with the winner advancing to a Wednesday semifinal at North Central. An Illinois Wesleyan win would set up a rematch of last season's CCIW Tournament Championship, this time in Chicago. NPU will play host to either IWU or Augie in a semifinal Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.
The Titans will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. with the women's quarterfinal matchup against Carroll University following at 6 p.m. For more information on tickets, live coverage, and live stats, visit CCIW.com.
