BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The No. 3 seeded Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer team hosts six-seeded Carroll University as the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament kicks off at Neis Field on Saturday, Oct. 31. The quarterfinal clash is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start and will follow the IWU men's soccer team's bout with Augustana.
The Titans enter the postseason with a 9-3-5 overall record. IWU finished the CCIW regular season with a 5-2-1 mark, its best since 2022. The Green and White secured the three-seed with a 2-nil win over Millikin at Neis Field Wednesday, Oct. 28. Senior Ava Mapes (Golden, Colo.-Lakewood) and junior Vanessa Gray (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) contributed goals as IWU secured its sixth shutout of the season. Carroll punched its ticket to the league tournament with a 1-nil loss against North Park in its last outing, Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Pios are 3-7-8 on the year ahead of the postseason. Saturday will see the Green and White look to tie their best home record since 2019. IWU enters the weekend 7-1 on its home pitch.
The Titans' offense is led by Mapes with her 10 goals, three assists, and 23 points, the most points by a Titan since Caelyn Steffens (47) in 2022. Liza Wiley (Bloomington, Ind.-Home School) follows with six goals, three assists with 15 points. Junior captain Ellen Dahlquist (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) is the team's assist leader with seven helpers while classmate Taylor Haun (Metamora, Ill.-Metamora Township) adds six. Freshman Peyton McMahon (Lakewood, Ill.-Crystal Lake Central) has scored three goals and three assists in the regular season. Altogether, eight Titans have scored a goal this year, and 12 have notched assists.
IWU holds an 8-5-2 all-time record over Carroll with a 3-2-2 home record against the Pios. In the last meeting, CU outlasted the Titans 3-2 in Waukesha, Wis., Oct. 17. The last time these teams met in the CCIW Tournament was in 2023, where the Pios blanked IWU 3-nil in the quarterfinals in Waukesha. Despite the loss, Illinois Wesleyan holds a 4-1 conference tournament record over Carroll, dating back to its first postseason matchup Nov. 3, 2016.
The Titans will kickoff at 6 p.m. against the Vikings at Neis Field. For more information on tickets, live coverage, and live stats, visit CCIW.com.
