BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer team opens up its season with two road contests starting Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa before heading to Michigan this weekend. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m.

IWU finished its 2025 campaign 9-7-3 (4-3-1 CCIW) as the No. 4 seed at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament before falling in penalty kicks to No. 5 seeded Wheaton in the CCIW Quarterfinals last October. The Green and White saw its best record since 2022 to earn home field advantage in the CCIW Tournament. 

The Titans return All-CCIW honorees in junior Liza Wiley (Bloomington, Ind.-Home School) and senior Ava Mapes (Golden, Colo.-Lakewood). Wiley led the Titans last season with seven goals and seven assists, good for 21 points. Going into her last season in the Green and White, Mapes finished her 2025 run with the third-highest goals scored on the team with five, alongside three assists and 13 points. IWU also returns captains senior Sophia Lampert (Hudson, Ill.-Normal Community West) and junior Ellen Dahlquist (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame). The Titans bolstered the roster with the addition of 10 freshmen and four transfers this offseason. 

Simpson leads the all-time series 3-2-1 dating back to its first matchup with Illinois Wesleyan in 2001. The Titans have dropped their last three meetings with Simpson, with last year's meeting being a 2-1 loss at Neis Field. Simpson finished its 2025 season with an 11-6-2 record marking its sixth consecutive season with 10-or-more wins. Simpson had six players earn All-American River Conference honors with five earning first team selections. Going into 2026, the Storm ranked third in the A-R-C Preseason Poll released earlier this month.

The match is set for 5 p.m. at Bill Buxton Stadium in Indianola, Iowa. For more information and live stats coverage can be accessed here.