NAPERVILLE — The 2025 CCIW men’s soccer season is off to a fast-paced start, with North Park earning national recognition at  #8 in the latest rankings, Illinois Wesleyan lighting up the scoreboard with an unbeaten attack and Wheaton grinding out results to stay undefeated. From Carroll’s offensive bursts to Millikin’s first win, early storylines are taking shape across the league as September rolls on.
 
Vikings Hit The National Spotlight
Preseason CCIW favorite North Park is eighth in the latest NCAA Division III men's soccer rankings released Tuesday by the United Soccer Coaches.
 
Denison is the nation’s top-ranked team. Rowan is second, while Emory, SUNY Cortland and Williams complete the top five.
 
North Park Perfect Thus Far: Dominant Defense, Goals Flow
North remains undefeated at 4-0-0 through the season’s first 10 days. The eighth-ranked Vikings have toppled Dubuque, Aurora, Trine and MSOE.
 
Junior defender Kevin Perez leads the team with three goals, including two game winners. He scored crucial goals in victories against Dubuque on Aug. 29, Aurora on Sept. 3, and MSOE on Wednesday … Vidar Rydell, a senior has been all over the pitch, leading the team with three assists and netting two goals in the win against Trine. His goals versus Trine included a direct free-kick and a corner kick that rolled into the net … Goalkeeper Ludvig Almborg has been a formidable presence in goal, maintaining a 0.667 goals-against average over 270 minutes. He registered his first shutout of the season with five saves in the 2-0 victory over MSOE on Wednesday.
 
The Vikings lead the conference in fewest goals allowed, conceding only two goals for an average of 0.50 goals allowed per game … North Park also holds the top spot in the conference for goal margin at +2.25 …NPU possesses the best save percentage in the CCIW at .846.
 
NPU puts its perfect record on the line next Tuesday at 4 p.m. at WashU in St. Louis.
 
Titans Soaring: Unbeaten, Offensive Firepower
Illinois Wesleyan men's soccer team remains undefeated with a 3-0-1 mark. The Titans lead the conference in total goals scored (13) and total points (36) through four games, owning wins over Spalding, Centre and Blackburn.
 
Junior Matthew Perchik is pacing IWU with three goals and two assists, totaling eight points early in the season. He scored two goals in the season-opening 5-1 victory against Spalding on Aug. 29 and added another goal in the 4-1 win over Blackburn on Wednesday … Ben Lyons, a midfielder, shares the team lead in points with eight, having scored three goals and provided two assists. He found the back of the net in three separate games, including the opener against Spalding, against Centre on Aug. 31, and his third goal at Knox on Sept. 6 which helped secure a draw … Newcomer Daniel Smazil came up big against Blackburn, scoring two goals, including his first career goal, to power the Titans to a 4-1 victory. The freshman is among the team leaders with two goals and one assist on the season.
 
IWU hosts Kalamazoo Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Bloomington.
 
Wheaton Resilience Shines in Tight Matches
Wheaton is without a loss through its first five contests in 2025, putting up a 2-0-3 mark. Thunder opened the season with a 4-2 win over Chapman at the Bob Baptista Invitational on Aug. 29 and also doubled up Pacific Lutheran, 2-1, on Sept. 5 in Tacoma, Wash.
 
Luke Vander Kolk is the offensive leader with three goals, two assists and eight points. He tallied two goals and two assists in the season-opening 4-2 victory over Chapman and scored his third goal of the season against Puget Sound on Sept. 6. He was named CCIW Men's Soccer Student-Athlete of the Week after his breakout performance to begin the season … Jack Krahel has been a steady presence in goal, making five saves in matches against Pacific Lutheran and #20 Colorado College on Aug. 30. He secured his first shutout of the season with four saves against Chicago on Wednesday, maintaining the team's unbeaten stretch … Ashur Eshw registered the game-winning penalty kick against Pacific Lutheran and the first Wheaton strike against Colorado College. He also recorded an assist in the season opener and was responsible for Wheaton's only shot on goal in their 0-0 draw with Chicago.
 
On Saturday, the Thunder will be under the lights at Joe Bean Stadium at 7 p.m. against Dubuque.
 
Shot Volume, Persistent Draws Drive North Central
North Central has an undefeated record of 1-0-3 through their first four games. The Cardinals rank second in the conference in corner kicks with 32 and are tied for the second-fewest goals allowed in the league, conceding only four goals across four matches.
 
Freshman Joseph Sargent has been a prolific scorer, leading NCC with three goals early in the season, including his first collegiate goal against Monmouth on Aug. 30 and a crucial score against MSOE on Sept. 4. He also found the net for his third goal of the season against Benedictine on Wednesday in Naperville, contributing six total points overall  … Morgan Kurseth, another freshman newcomer, put away his first career collegiate goal in the 49th minute against Knox in Aug. 29 opener to help secure a 2-2 draw. He ranks as one of the team's shot leaders with 11 … Sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Szalai has maintained a 1.00 goals-against average over 360 minutes with one shutout. He made six saves in the 2-0 victory against Monmouth.
 
NCC plays the final match of a three-match homestand this Sunday at 4 p.m. against #23 Illinois Tech.
 
Pioneers Score Big, Fueling Strong Start
Carroll holds a winning record of 3-2-0 through their first five games. The Pioneers, who have played four of their first five matches at home, have alternated wins and losses since claiming a 4-1 win over Benedictine in their opener on Aug. 29.
 
Iskander Sharipov, a freshman, is the team leader with five goals, including a hat trick in the season opener and the game-winning goal against St. Scholastica on Sept. 5 … Marti Solanelles drilled two goals in a 3-1 win over Marian on Wednesday, including a rare unassisted goal directly from a corner kick, and two assists in the season opener against Benedictine. He leads the team in total shots and shots on goal … Keeper Jason Brunger logged six stops in the 4-1 season-opening victory and an impressive nine saves against St. Olaf last Sunday. He has a total of 20 saves across four games played, maintaining a .714 save percentage.
 
The Pioneers travel to Colorado Springs on Saturday to meet Colorado College at 2 p.m. CT, part of an ongoing four-game road trip.
 
Bluejays Building Momentum
Elmhurst has won three matches this fall versus Rockford, Dubuque and Webster, part of a 3-2-1 start to the campaign.
 
Junior midfielder Caden Sultzbaugh was a key contributor in EU's first victory of the season, scoring both goals, including a penalty kick, in the 2-1 win over Rockford on Aug. 31. He led the team with four shots in that match, all on target, and has two goals on the season … Jacob Wipke has two game-winning goals early in the season. He netted the first goal in the 2-0 shutout against Dubuque on Sept. 3 and also buried the decisive goal in a 1-0 road victory over Webster last Sunday … Niyen Ruffin delivered five saves to secure the 2-0 shutout victory over Dubuque. He also made six saves in a Sept. 5 match against WashU.
 
Wisconsin-Eau Claire is the Bluejays’ next opponent on the road on Saturday at 7 p.m.
 
Strong Defense and Goalkeeping Defines Augie Early
Augustana owns a 1-1-2 record through their first four games of the season.The Vikings have a goals-against average of 1.00, tied for the second-lowest among teams that have played four games. Augustana leads the conference in total saves with 24 and possesses the best save percentage in the conference at .857.
 
William Gabrielsson leads the CCIW with 24 saves and an .857 save percentage through four games. He recorded seven saves in a scoreless draw against Monmouth on Sept. 2 and another seven saves in a 2-1 victory over Knox last Tuesday … Jamie K'Otieno loomed large in the 2-1 road win against Knox, scoring the opening goal and then assisting Jacob Roffman's game-winning goal … Freshman Jacob Roffman netted the game-winning goal against Knox.
 
Cornell will host the Vikings next on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Mount Vernon, Iowa.
 
Big Blue Light Up Senior Night For First Win
Millikin picked up its first win of 2025 last Saturday, blanking Monmouth 5-0 at Frank M. Lindsay Field in Decatur. It improved MU 1-2-0 on the season.
 
Olav Kaldahl scored two goals in the opening eight minutes against Monmouth, one of which was the game-winning goal in the 5-0 victory. He led the team with three shots and two shots on goal … Christian Smith turned away nine shots to earn a clean sheet in the win. He was named CCIW Student-Athlete of the Week last Tuesday … Freshman Blake Helvey made a memorable contribution by scoring his first career collegiate goal just before halftime.
 
MU plays its first road contest of the season on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against Rose-Hulman.
 
Firebirds Seeking First Win
Carthage remains in search of its first victory in 2025. The Firebirds are 0-3-1 ahead of Friday’s road trip to Loras for a 7 p.m. kickoff in Dubuque, Iowa.
 
Aaron The delivered seven saves against Gustavus Adolphus on Sept. 5, six saves against Wisconsin-Platteville on Aug. 31, and three saves in the season-opening shutout draw against Marian on Aug. 29 … Alfredo Millan scored Carthage's first goal of the season, finding the back of the net in the 21st minute against Gustavus Adolphus to give the Firebirds an early lead. He also fired an early shot just over the crossbar in the season opener against Marian … Dennis Valle netted his first goal of the season against St. Norbert last Sunday, equalizing the score in the 76th minute from a pass by Lincoln Ponce. He contributed two shots in that game.