Contact: Matthew Eaker, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, mreaker@noctrl.edu 

Nov. 3, 2021 - The North Central College men's soccer team took down the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans 2-1 in the Semifinals of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament on a chilly night inside Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. 

The last time the Cardinals and Titans met in the Semifinals of the CCIW Tournament, the Titans advanced to the Championship game in penalty kicks on the Cardinals home turf. Tonight, the Cardinals looked to get their revenge from 2019. 

The first half was at a standstill until the 24th minute when Trevor Martin of Illinois Wesleyan put one just out of the reach of Sid Marquardt to put the Titans up 1-0. In the 32nd minute, the Cardinals would strike back as Jaziel Enriquez would send a pass to Brandon Harmsen who would put one past the Titans goalkeeper tying the game up at one. 

In the second half, the Cardinals and Titans defenses shut down any offensive opportunities that came their way. In the 80th minute, the Cardinals had an opportunity as Harmsen sent a pass up the sideline to Enriquez. Enriquez made a defender miss and sent a strike to the top left corner which would put the Cardinals up 2-1 with ten minutes remaining in the game. 

Illinois Wesleyan had a few chances early in the second half, but Marquardt came up with a pair of saves to keep the game tied at one. The Cardinals outshot the Titans 24-10 and 11-4 with shots on net. 

The Cardinals defense was dominant once again only giving four shots on goal and limiting the Titans to one goal. Marquardt tallied three saves improving his record to 13-1-1 on the season. Titans goalkeeper Ethan Fineman tallied nine saves as he fell to 5-2-1 on the season. 

The Cardinals (17-1-1, 6-1-1 CCIW) will host the Wheaton College Thunder on Saturday in the CCIW Championship game. The game time is TBA. For more information on the CCIW Tournament, click HERE. 

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