BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The 2025 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men's Soccer Championship, featuring the host and second-seeded Illinois Wesleyan Titans and the fourth-seeded North Park Vikings. The winner of the match earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and the Vikings are looking to play spoiler in the Titans' first-ever hosted championship at Neis Field.
Illinois Wesleyan (12-2-4) enters the finals match with momentum after a dominant semifinal win and a season marked by offensive threats up and down the roster alongside defensive resilience. North Park (10-6-2) earned its spot with a dramatic upset over top-seeded Wheaton, erasing a 1-0 lead by the Thunder to bound into the championship match once more.
Last Meeting: Titans Rally Past Vikings
In their regular-season meeting on October 11, Illinois Wesleyan overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat North Park 2-1. North Park senior forward Adam Hamad had a goal in the 4th minute before goals from Matthew Perchik and Faheem Mujahid in the second half sealed the comeback. The Titans out-shot North Park 19 (10) - 12 (6) and surrendered only three corner kicks to the Vikings.
Illinois Wesleyan Titans Quick Look
The Titans have been led by standout performances from Ryder Coleman, Ben Lyons, and Matthew Perchik, who have combined for a significant portion of the team's goals and assists this season. Kedzior anchors a defense that has allowed fewer than one goal per game over the last month. Six Titans have double-digit point totals, led by 18 from Coleman. IWU defends Neis Field well, with its home last loss arriving on October 8 against conference champion Wheaton.
North Park Vikings Quick Look
North Park's path to the finals match was paved by clutch performances from Mathias Soerum and Bastian Eikeland. Eikeland has registered the past two game winner in conference tournament action - an overtime strike against Carroll in the quarterfinals and then a free kick inside the right post against Wheaton in the semifinals.
Soerum leveled the match at Wheaton, firing a lower shot to quickly negate the Thunder's go-ahead score. Ludvig Almborg got the call to defend goal in both playoff games, allowing only one goal in the tournament while saving six shots.
The Vikings will look to avenge their earlier loss and capture their first CCIW tournament championship since 2019. Kickoff at Illinois Wesleyan's Neis Field is set for noon central time.
