NAPERVILLE, Ill. - A hierarchy is beginning to emerge in the CCIW women's soccer standings, as all but one team, Carroll, has played three or more conference matches. Four CCIW matches on Saturday followed by two more on Wednesday night will continue to clear up the positioning for the six bids into the CCIW Tournament starting at the end of this month, but for now three teams -- North Central, Illinois Wesleyan, and Wheaton -- all are tied for first place with seven points from their first three matches.
After playing to a draw in their CCIW opener, it's not shocking to see NCC and IWU at the top as both remain undefeated on the season. Wheaton, however, brought in a 1-6-1 record prior to the start of conference play. The Thunder have found their mojo in their first three matches of the league slate, scoring seven goals and notching a pair of shutouts. Wheaton will look to continue its upward trajectory this week with two home matches in CCIW play, welcoming in Carthage on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Carroll on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Upcoming Schedule
| Saturday, October 10, 2026 |
| Away |
Home |
Time |
Location |
Links |
| Carroll |
North Central |
11:00 A.M. |
Naperville, IL (Conf.) |
Stats Video |
| Illinois Wesleyan |
North Park |
1:00 P.M. |
Chicago, IL (Conf.) |
Stats Video |
| Elmhurst |
Millikin |
2:00 P.M. |
Decatur, IL (Conf.) |
Stats Video |
| Carthage |
Wheaton |
4:30 P.M. |
Wheaton, Ill. (Conf.) |
Stats Video |
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| Tuesday, October 13, 2026 |
| Away |
Home |
Time |
Location |
Links |
| Illinois Wesleyan |
WashU |
6:00 P.M. |
St. Louis, Mo. |
Stats Video |
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| Wednesday, October 14, 2026 |
| Away |
Home |
Time |
Location |
Links |
| Millikin |
Westminster College (MO) |
5:00 P.M. |
Fulton, MO |
Stats |
| Cornell |
Elmhurst |
5:00 P.M. |
Elmhurst, Ill. |
Stats Video |
| Knox |
Augustana |
7:00 P.M. |
Rock Island, Ill. |
Stats |
| Carroll |
Wheaton |
7:00 P.M. |
Wheaton, IL (Conf.) |
Stats Video |
| North Central |
North Park |
7:00 P.M. |
Chicago, IL (Conf.) |
Stats Video |
Standings
| SCHOOL |
CONF |
CONF POINTS |
OVERALL |
| North Central |
2-0-1 |
7 |
9-0-1 |
| Illinois Wesleyan |
2-0-1 |
7 |
6-0-5 |
| Wheaton |
2-0-1 |
7 |
3-7-2 |
| Carroll |
1-0-1 |
4 |
2-3-7 |
| North Park |
1-1-1 |
4 |
4-6-2 |
| Millikin |
0-1-3 |
3 |
6-4-3 |
| Elmhurst |
1-2 |
3 |
8-4 |
| Carthage |
0-2-1 |
1 |
3-5-5 |
| Augustana |
0-3-1 |
1 |
4-5-3 |
CCIW Weekly Award Winners
| Week |
Offensive |
Defensive |
| Week 1 |
Jordan Lange, North Central
two goals, one assist; game-winning goal vs. No. 16 Carleton |
Ava Lewandowski, Carroll
20 saves, .909 save percentage, 0.67 GAA; one shutout in 270 minutes |
| Week 2 |
Ava Mapes, Illinois Wesleyan
five goals, one assist; hat trick vs Westminster; 13 shots, nine on goal |
Lauren Richards, North Central
Helped anchor two shutouts; defense allowed just three shots on goal and three corner kicks across two matches |
| Week 3 |
Izzy Jones, Millikin
five goals, two assists in three wins; hat trick vs Illinois College |
Emma Megerle, North Central
seven saves, zero goals allowed; helped preserve two shutout wins |
| Week 4 |
Peyton Olinski, Carthage
Had three goal involvements on the week; Goal and an assist in a draw against Millikin |
Jessica Bearley, Millikin
21 saves in two matches; nine saves against No. 1 Washington University in St. Louis |
| Week 5 |
Izzy Jones, Millikin
Second-half hat trick in a 3-3 draw with Wheaton |
Sara Schinker, Augustana
Made 10 saves in two matches, including seven in a 0-0 draw with North Park |
Rankings/Statistical Leaders
Though no teams are ranked in the Top 25 of the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll, North Central and Illinois Wesleyan both make an appearance in the Region VIII rankings. Following two wins for each team this past week, the Cardinals are slotted into fourth in the region with a 9-0-1 overall record, while the Titans are just a spot back in fifth with a 6-0-5 mark.
Even after a scoreless draw with Carroll last week, Millikin is still far and away the highest-scoring team in the conference, having netted 36 times through 13 matches this season for an average of 2.77 goals per game. North Central is second in that category with 22 goals through 10 matches (2.2 goals per game). The Cardinals have also fielded the stingiest defense in the conference, having given up only six goals total thus far. Elmhurst and Carroll also excel defensively and have allowed nine goals apiece this season. Having played five scoreless draws already this season, the Pioneers have totaled a conference-high seven ties on the year.
Last week's CCIW Offensive Player of the Week Izzy Jones of Millikin continues to pad her lead in the goals column, now up to 14 on the campaign and six ahead of the nearest competition -- Lauren Nevins of Elmhurst and Ava Mapes of Illinois Wesleyan. Of Nevins' eight goals, five have gone down as the match winner for the Bluejays. IWU's Taylor Haun is now up to a league-high six assists, one ahead of teammate Ellen Dahlquist and Elmhurst's Alaina Clark.
Given her team's defensive track record, Carroll's Ava Lewandowski is unsurprisingly among the CCIW's elite goalkeepers. Lewandowski currently leads the conference in goals-against average (0.74), save percentage (.830) and is tied for the lead in shutouts with four alongside Augustana's Sara Schinker. North Park's Makenna Harvey has registered the most saves in the conference so far on the year with 68, an average of 7.56 per match.
CCIW Network
The CCIW is proud to partner with Hudl in bringing fans the CCIW Network, the conference's digital home for live coverage. The CCIW Network is your one-stop destination for CCIW action throughout the year, giving fans the opportunity to stream live events free of charge and follow their favorite teams from across the conference.
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).