BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer team blew by Blackburn College, 3-0, Tuesday evening, Sept. 16, at Neis Field. The win gave IWU its third straight clean sheet and boosted its record to 3-1-1. Blackburn fell to 2-4-1 with the setback.
Illinois Wesleyan pressured the Beaver backline early and often, mounting a 27-7 advantage in shots. The Titans put together a 10-4 lead in attempts on target alongside a 10-5 edge in corner kicks.
The Beavers appeared ready to strike first, but senior goalkeeper Owen Boukalik (Northville, Mich.-Northville) made two saves to silence a Blackburn scoring chance. The senior keeper stopped an initial shot before BC put another on target off a corner kick.
Boukalik's stops sent the Titans off on the counter quickly as just 19 seconds after his second save IWU claimed the lead. Sophomore Hunter Reinberg (Washington, Mo.-St. Francis Borgia) booted a ball from the backline to clear possession. Junior Ben Lyons (Orland Park, Ill.-Carl Sandburg) won the ball in the air and put a flick ahead to the feet of freshman Declan Schuler (Peoria, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame). The Peoria native flew down the sideline and into the box to send a shot past the BC goalie and secure the 1-nil lead in the 30th minute.
Over the next 14 minutes, possession was limited to the midfield as the two teams combined for just two shots. All of that changed as freshman Casey Lenarz (Palos Heights, Ill.-Chicago Christian) slipped a pass to junior Dillon Tierney (Bloomington, Ill.-Normal Community). The Bloomington native sent a shot past the BC goalie and doubled the Titans' lead. The goal, which came with less than a minute to go in the half, was good for the second of Tierney's career.
Illinois Wesleyan's two-goal lead stood into the 83rd minute, where freshman Kobo Michaeli (Chicago, Ill.-Northside College Prep) hustled down field to keep a ball from going out for a goal kick. With a defender on his back, Michaeli created enough space to send a cross along the six, where senior Faheem Mujahid (Saint Robert, Mo.-Waynesville) volleyed in the final goal of the night for a 3-0 lead.
The Titans will close out the non-conference slate on Sunday, Sept. 20 as they host Monmouth College for Senior Day. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. Live coverage of the contest can be accessed here.
