Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (Oct. 22, 2025) - Enduring feels-like temperatures in the 40s and wind gusts up to 15 mph, the North Central College women's soccer team defeated the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans 2-1 at Neis Field in Bloomington, Ill. to remain undefeated in College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin action. The Cardinals extend their win streak to seven and move to 11-5 on the year and 6-0 in CCIW play. Illinois Wesleyan dips to 7-7-2 and 2-3-1 in league action.
The Cardinals did not waste any time challenging the Illinois Wesleyan back line as Madison DeVriendt took a shot in the second minute but the attempt was blocked by a Titan defender.
North Central took advantage of back-to-back corner kicks with DeVriendt servicing a perfectly placed ball for Kassandra Salviola to score on a header and put the Cardinals ahead 1-0 just six minutes in.
Illinois Wesleyan kicked it up a notch after the Cardinal goal, maintaining possession for a few minutes before taking a shot that went high, putting North Central back in control off the goal kick.
Jordan Lange was tripped up outside the 18-yard box and granted a free kick that DeVriendt would send towards the net but the effort was thwarted by an outstretched Titan goalkeeper, Vanessa Gray.
Eight minutes later, Carly Campbell launched a long ball to Lange, but a Titan defender blocked the pass sending the ball loose before Victoria Jaimes picked it up and buried the lefty shot into the net for a two-goal lead with 12 minutes left in the half.
Illinois Wesleyan attempted to break the stalemate off of a free kick but Mackenzie Loomis got a head on it for the clear. The Titans controlled the possession in the final five minutes of the half but were unable to execute on their opportunities, as North Central carried a 2-0 lead into halftime.
The Titans put the pressure on after the break, taking the first seven shots of the half before finding their chance to cut the deficit to just one with a header to the bottom left of the goal in the 52nd minute. North Central battled in the second half in attempts to stretch the lead, taking nine shots but could not land another goal.
The Cardinals held the advantage in shots (21-15), shots on goal (10-8), and corner kick opportunities (9-4). Cardinal keeper
Lily Mattison recorded seven saves, just one shy of the Titan keeper's eight.
North Central's 2-1 victory continues the Cardinals' undefeated CCIW slate with just two games remaining in the regular season. As it stands, North Central and North Park University are the only two teams locked in for the conference tournament as both are 6-0 in CCIW action. The Cardinals and Vikings will play for the regular season title and the No. 1 seed this Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Holmgren Athletic Complex in Chicago, Ill.
