NAPERVILLE --- The CCIW men’s soccer season continues to deliver high-stakes action as teams settle into conference play. Last week showcased a mix of dominant performances, tight defensive battles, and standout offensive efforts that shifted the standings and energized the league. With exciting matchups and key results across the board, the race in the CCIW is already taking shape as teams look to make their mark.
 
AUGIE’S LANDIN, IWU’S KEDZIOR COLLECT CCIW MEN’S SOCCER WEEKLY HONORS
Augustana’s Javi Landin and Illinois Wesleyan’s Sam Kedzior earned College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men’s Soccer Student-Athlete of the Week honors on Tuesday.
 
Landin, a freshman from Pontevedra, Spain, assisted on four Augustana goals to help the Vikings upset 16th-ranked North Park 5-2 on Saturday in the CCIW opener in Rock Island. Landin assisted on each of the first four Augie tallies, including Jacob Roffman’s match-winner in the 21st minute.
 
Landin also scored the only goal in Augustana’s 1-0 win over Coe last Tuesday in the 26th minute.
 
Kedzior earned back-to-back 90-minute shutouts for the Titans last week, making a total of nine saves in non-league action. The senior stopped four shots on target in IWU’s 3-0 win at Eureka last Wednesday, then added five more stops to pace the Titans in their 4-0 clean sheet versus Wabash on Saturday.
 
LANDIN, TRUJILLO STAR AS AUGUSTANA UPSETS NORTH PARK
Augustana penned a signature win last weekend, upsetting then-16th-ranked North Park 5-2 in Saturday’s league opener. The decision moved the Vikings to the .500 mark at 3-3-2 overall.
 
Javi Landin has been a key playmaker for the Vikings, ranking second in the league in assists per game at 0.43. He had four assists during the 5-2 victory over North Park on Saturday … Forward Sebastian Trujillo also pitched in against North Park, netting two early goals, both via headers, in the third and 20th minutes of the match … Defensively, goalkeeper William Gabrielsson leads the CCIW in total saves with 38 and ranks second in the league with 4.75 saves per game in eight appearances. Gabrielsson maintains a .745 save percentage and has recorded two shutouts.
 
The Vikings’ next two contests are on the road, starting with Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Carroll.
 
SARGENT, BONAVIA POWER NORTH CENTRAL TO CCIW VICTORY
North Central’s unbeaten streak is three after starting the league schedule with a 6-0 win over Carroll last Saturday afternoon. NCC followed that victory with a 1-0 shutout of Trine on Wednesday, moving to 4-1-4 overall.
 
The Cardinals lead the CCIW in total offensive pressure, attempting a league-high 20.2 shots per game … NCC has also dominated set-piece opportunities, leading the CCIW with 71 total corner kicks (7.89 per game), while also leading the conference in total shutouts with four … Defensively, North Central has yielded only eight goals over nine games, resulting in a goals against average of 0.89, which ranks second in the CCIW and helps boost a +1.11 scoring margin.
 
Freshman forward Joseph Sargent leads the team in scoring and ranks second among CCIW players in both goals (six total, 0.67 goals per game) and points (12 total, 1.33 points per game). He notched the game's only goal in the 54th minute during the 1-0 win over Trine, a performance following a two-goal outing against Carroll … Senior Jack Bonavia had two goals and an assist last Saturday against Carroll … Goalkeeper Daniel Szalai owns a goals against average of 1.02 in 704 minutes He is tied for fourth among conference goalkeepers with two individual shutouts and owns a .742 save percentage.
 
One final non-conference match awaits the Cardinals, who will go to Dominican Saturday at noon in River Forest, Ill.
 
VANDER KOLK LEADS THUNDER AS TEAM POSTS CONSECUTIVE SHUTOUTS
Wheaton has won its last two matches via the shutout, including a 2-0 triumph versus Elmhurst last Saturday in both teams’ league opener. The Thunder, who also blanked Kalamazoo 3-0 on Wednesday, are 5-2-3 overall.
 
Wheaton paces the conference in total assists with 22 … The Thunder’s defense has also been strong, ranking fourth in the CCIW in goals allowed per game (1.40) … Wheaton is fourth in the CCIW in shots per game (13.8) with 138 total shots and sits third in the league with three shutouts.
 
Forward Luke Vander Kolk is Wheaton's top scorer, leading the CCIW in both goals with nine and total points with 20. He has recorded two multiple-point games this season, including a two-goal performance in the 3-0 victory over Kalamazoo last Saturday … Senior Craig Rusin is on the CCIW leaderboard in total assists with three, an average of 0.30 assists per game. He had two assists in the win over Kalamazoo … Goalkeeper Jack Krahel has played 900 minutes and is tied for second in the CCIW in total shutouts with three. He has 26 saves on the season.
 
The Thunder will hit the road for the first time in two weeks on Saturday night at North Park at 7:30 p.m.
 
VIKINGS BOUNCE BACK WITH WIN OVER MILLIKIN
North Park is 1-1-0 against CCIW opponents, highlighted by Wednesday’s 5-1 win over Millikin at the Holmgren Athletic Complex. The decision came just four days after NPU (6-2-0) dropped the league opener at Augustana last Saturday.
 
The Vikings are first in the CCIW in goals per game (2.63) and also sit third in assists per game (2.00) … The NPU defense is also effective, ranking third in the CCIW in goals allowed per game (1.38). This success has led to an average scoring margin of +1.25, second in the league only to Illinois Wesleyan … North Park averages 5.63 corner kicks per game.
 
Midfielder Alexander Gahm leads the CCIW in assists with four. Gahm tallied two assists in the win over Millikin and also buried a penalty kick … Forward Vidar Rydell ranks ninth in the CCIW in points per game (0.88) and has seven total points (two goals, three assists) … Goalkeeper Ludvig Almborg has made six appearances and piled up 18 saves this season, averaging 3.00 saves per game. Almborg owns a goals against average of 1.67 and has recorded one shutout.
 
The Vikings remain home for a big Saturday night matchup with Wheaton at 7:30 p.m.
 
FIREBIRDS EARN POINT IN CCIW OPENER, RAMIREZ SCORES TWICE
Carthage earned a point when league play opened last Saturday, playing to a 4-4 draw at Millikin. The Firebirds, who dropped a 3-0 decision at Chicago on Tuesday, are 1-4-2 overall this season.
 
Defensively, Carthage has maintained a save percentage of .750 – third-highest in the CCIW. The Firebirds also rank second in the league in saves per game, averaging 5.14.
 
Goalkeeper Aaron The lists second among all CCIW keepers in both saves per game (5.33) and save percentage (.800) across his six appearances. The is also tied for the conference lead in shutouts per game (0.33) and has made 32 saves over 540 minutes … Freshman forward Juan Ramirez scored twice in the 4-4 tie against Millikin last Saturday.
 
Carthage will play just its second home match of the 2025 season on Saturday when conference play resumes against Illinois Wesleyan at 7 p.m.
 
MILLIKIN TIES CARTHAGE IN CCIW OPENER
Playing at home for the first time in three weeks, Millikin tied Carthage 4-4 in the CCIW opener at Frank M. Lindsay Field last Saturday. The Big Blue’s record is 4-5-1 overall and 0-1-1 in the league after Wednesday’s 5-1 loss at North Park.
 
The Big Blue possess one of the CCIW's strongest offenses, ranking third in goals per game (2.10) with 21 total goals. They also rank fifth in assists per game (1.50) … Millikin paces the CCIW in saves, recording 65 total saves through 10 games … Millikin is aggressive offensively, ranking third in the CCIW in shots per game (14.4).
 
Forward Landon Welch is sixth on the CCIW leaderboard in both points (10 total) and points per game (1.00), having scored four goals and recorded two assists. Welch scored in the second minute of the 4-4 draw against Carthage last Saturday … Forward Bryce Davis is tied with Welch for the team lead in goals with four and is eighth in the CCIW in points per game (0.90). Davis scored via a penalty kick in the 24th minute against Carthage and also scored Millikin's only goal in the 5-1 loss to North Park on Wednesday … Defender Olav Kaldahl ranks fourth in the CCIW in shots per game (2.80).
 
The Big Blue will play its second straight conference bout on the road on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Elmhurst.
 
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN ENDS NON-CONFERENCE STRONG
Illinois Wesleyan made the most of its final non-conference match of the campaign last Saturday, pitching a 4-0 shutout of Wabash at Neis Field. IWU is 6-1-2 in 2025.
 
IWU is atop the conference in total points (65), total goals (22) and total assists (21). These numbers, coupled with a strong defense that has only allowed seven goals, gives them an average scoring margin of +1.67 – highest in the CCIW … Illinois Wesleyan is aggressive offensively, ranking second in the CCIW in shots per game (18.5) and third in corner kicks (5.3) … Defensively, IWU leads the CCIW in goals-against average (0.78), is tied for second in total shutouts with three.
 
Forward Ben Lyons gives the Titans 1.33 points per game, second-most in the league. Lyons also ranks second in the CCIW in shots per game with an average of 3.56 … Goalkeeper Sam Kedzior leads the CCIW in multiple categories, including goals against average (0.79) and save percentage (.811). Kedzior is tied for the conference lead in total shutouts with three and logged his second shutout of the week in the 4-0 victory over Wabash last Saturday … Senior Logan Tierney is a top playmaker for the Titans, ranking tied for third in the CCIW in assists with three. Tierney had two assists against Wabash.
 
Illinois Wesleyan will take a two-game win streak and put its unbeaten home road record (3-0-1) on the line Saturday night at Carthage at 7 p.m. It will be the first CCIW match of the season for the Titans.
 
HINTEN’S LATE GOAL LIFTS CARROLL TO 1-1 DRAW
Carroll tied in-state non-conference rival Wisconsin-Stevens Point 1-1 on Tuesday at Schneider Stadium, the Pioneers’ first draw of the season. CU, which dropped its league opener at North Central last Saturday 6-0, owns a 3-5-1 record overall.
 
Forward Iskander Sharipov lands fourth in the CCIW in goals per game (0.56) … Midfielder Marti Solanelles is Carroll's leader in shots, ranking third among all CCIW players with 30 total shots and averaging 3.33 shots per game across nine games … Defender Nico Hinten scored his first goal of the season in the 79th minute against Wisconsin-Stevens Point, carrying the ball from the 40-yard mark all the way to the box to equalize the match at 1-1.
 
Another home contest in Waukesha awaits the Pioneers on Saturday, a 3:30 p.m. start against Augustana.
 
ELMHURST HOSTS BIG BLUE IN SECOND LEAGUE BOUT
Elmhurst (3-6-2) will continue CCIW action Saturday night at 7 p.m. when Millikin travels to Langhorst Field. It’s the Bluejays’ second league bout of the season after a 2-0 loss at Wheaton last Saturday.
 
Elmhurst has 49 total saves through 11 games for an average of 4.45 saves per contest – fourth best in the CCIW.
 
Goalkeeper Niyen Ruffin has appeared in nine games and closed with five saves in the recent match against Wheaton, accumulating 37 total saves this season for an average of 4.11 saves per game. Goalkeeper Niyen Ruffin logged five saves in the recent match against Wheaton. He has 37 total saves this season, maintaining a save percentage of .698 and a goals-against average of 1.88 … Senior Caden Sultzbaugh recorded two shots and one shot on goal in the match against Wheaton … Freshman Klaus Gartner also recorded a shot on goal against Wheaton in the 34th minute.