CCIW

[Gregory Sager]

Shocker in the western suburbs tonight as Wheaton goes down in the early minutes of overtime to Illinois Wesleyan, 3-2.

It was a scoreless contest until the 60th minute, when Donovan Malone put the Titans up. Four minutes later, Trevor Martin slipped one past Hasten Biddlecome to put the Titans up 2-0, and it appeared that the upset was on. But IWU, which was bothering the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance all night with rough play, got a little too feisty in the penalty area in the 77th minute, leading to a Silas Galvao PK goal that cut the lead in half. Wheaton kept pushing hard, and, sure enough, another Titans foul in the box six minutes after the first PK allowed Galvao to tally his second PK goal of the night, and his third of the week, to draw Wheaton level with five minutes to go.

And then it got weird. The second foul called on the Titans in the box that led to the equalizer had appeared to be a little bit soft. But only 25 seconds later, WC's Brock Seneff was called for a foul in the box that also appeared to be a little soft. Nevertheless, it seemed as though the Titans were going to get their upset win in regulation regardless of having coughed up a couple of late PK goals. No dice, though; Zach Kokes ganked the penalty kick, sending it three feet over the crossbar, and the contest went to OT.

It didn't stay there long, however, as a lazy pass on Wheaton's backline a little over four minutes into the extra session was jumped by IWU's Dane Hoare, who swooped in and put a strike out of Biddlecome's reach and into the net to give the Titans the big upset win. This is a particularly nettlesome loss for Wheaton, which has suffered a tie and a pair of losses in CCIW play within the past eight days and is now a problematic 1-2-1 in the CCIW and 6-3-1 overall. For Illinois Wesleyan -- which, remember, lost its first five contests this season -- this represents win #1 in conference play, as the Titans draw even at 1-1 in the CCIW and 2-6-1 overall.

Elsewhere, Carroll also continued to skid as the Pioneers dropped a 2-0 decision at Elmhurst, and the Carthage Firebirds found the tonic for what ailed them, as they ended their scoring drought with a five-goal outburst at home in beating Augustana, 5-1.

[npbaseball40]

No CCIW teams represented in the Men's USC Top 25 poll this week. D3soccer.com (for the men) yet to be released.

[Gregory Sager]

New d3soccer.com poll is out. North Central moves up from #16 to #14, North Park enters poll for the first time this season, debuting at #23.

[Gregory Sager]

Final from the Schneid:

North Park 4
Carroll 0

NPU: Barriga (3) 20:40, Olsen (12) 61:55, Knap (3) 63:42, Lunde (5) 64:05

Vikings win on the road tonight with a minimum of fuss.

* * *

Overtime final at Keller Field:

Wheaton 2
Carthage 1

WC: Martens (5) 86:15, Kopplin (3) 97:00
CC: McCaw (5) 23:57

In what was easily the most exciting game of the night, Wheaton pulls level with a waning-minutes equalizer and then finds the back of the net with a golden goal to return home the victor.

* * *

Final on the grass at Neis Field:

North Central 1
Illinois Wesleyan 0

NCC: Harmsen (3) 53:18

Cards dominate the run of play on the road.

* * *
Final from Langhorst:

Elmhurst 2
Augustana 0

EU: Backhaus (4) 24:30, Lucas (3) 47:32

That home debacle against NPU a week and a half ago seems to have lit a fire underneath the 'jays, as they've since shut out three straight CCIW opponents.

* * *

North Park	10-3	5-0
North Central	14-0-1	4-0-1
Elmhurst	7-5-2	3-1-1
Wheaton	7-3-1	2-2-1
Millikin	1-8-2	1-2-1
Illinois Wesleyan	2-7-1	1-2
Carthage	7-5-2	1-3-1
Carroll	7-4-1	0-2-1
Augustana	4-7	0-5

[Gregory Sager]

Congratulations to NPU for clinching its 20th straight winning season and its 17th straight double-digit-win season.

The winning-seasons streak by North Park is the 20th-longest in D3 men's soccer history. AFAIK, there are six D3 programs that are enjoying current streaks of twenty or more winning seasons:

Ohio Wesleyan, 50 (the Bishops are one win away from making it 51)
Messiah, 40
Williams, 38 (the Ephs are currently 6-4-2 with three games remaining)
Calvin, 24
Amherst, 23 (like OWU, the Mammoths are just one win away from extending their streak)
North Park, 20

OWU, Messiah, Williams, and Amherst are all listed in the most recent edition of the D3 men's soccer record book. Calvin and NPU, for some reason, are omitted. I actually wouldn't be shocked if there are other programs out there in D3 World that are currently enjoying twenty or more consecutive winning seasons that the folks in Indianapolis have somehow overlooked.

[Gregory Sager]

Congrats as well to NPU's Peder Olsen upon becoming only the sixth player in CCIW men's soccer history to score 50 career goals:

Eric Brown, WC	1996-99	86
Rob Mouw, WC	1997-99	69
Joel Kapitaniuk, WC	1986,88-90	67
Jason Ross, AC	2000-03	56
Justin Risma, WC	2002-05	53
Peder Olsen, NPU	2017-19,21	50

[blue_jays]

Congrats as well to NPU's Peder Olsen upon becoming only the sixth player in CCIW men's soccer history to score 50 career goals:

Eric Brown, WC	1996-99	86
Rob Mouw, WC	1997-99	69
Joel Kapitaniuk, WC	1986,88-90	67
Jason Ross, AC	2000-03	56
Justin Risma, WC	2002-05	53
Peder Olsen, NPU	2017-19,21	50

That reminds me of how much of an absolute monster Eric Brown was on the attack. 86 goals and 38 assists for 210 career points. And the fact that Rob Mouw basically matched him with one less year at Wheaton (69 G, 35 A, 173 PTS) is pretty amazing.

[Gotberg]

Congrats as well to NPU's Peder Olsen upon becoming only the sixth player in CCIW men's soccer history to score 50 career goals:

Eric Brown, WC	1996-99	86
Rob Mouw, WC	1997-99	69
Joel Kapitaniuk, WC	1986,88-90	67
Jason Ross, AC	2000-03	56
Justin Risma, WC	2002-05	53
Peder Olsen, NPU	2017-19,21	50

That reminds me of how much of an absolute monster Eric Brown was on the attack. 86 goals and 38 assists for 210 career points. And the fact that Rob Mouw basically matched him with one less year at Wheaton (69 G, 35 A, 173 PTS) is pretty amazing.

I agree, those numbers are crazy good.

[mr_b]

North Park hands North Central its first defeat of the season, 2-1 in OT.  Both teams scored on penalty kicks in regulation, with the Vikings drawing level very late.  The winning goal came at close the two minutes in extra time.

[Gregory Sager]

Overtime final at Hedstrand Field:

North Park 2
North Central 1

NPU: Olsen (13) 85:49, Anamoo (8) 91:15
NCC: Kraemer (5) 55:36

As Mr. B said, the two teams traded second-half PK goals, with NPU's coming uncomfortably late after being drawn against a packed-in NCC defense. But, once the game got level, the Cardinals were at a distinct disadvantage -- not just because the Vikings have more weapons, but because the visitors were down a man after drawing a red card. Only 26 seconds into OT, Jesse Anamoo was whistled for an offsides in a situation where he had an open net in front of him. But 49 seconds after that he more than made up for it by banging home the coup de grace on a marvelous three-touch sequence between Gustav Ericsson, Patrick Knap, and Anamoo that put the Vikings in the driver's seat in their quest for their fourth straight CCIW title.

* * *

Final from the Schneid:

Carroll 2
Millikin 1

CU: Buffington (2) 51:56, Walters (2) 82:21
MU: Fallert (1) 56:16

Carroll's up-and-down travels on the back nine of this season take an upswing, while Millikin's just playing out the string at this point.

* * *

Final from Neis Field:

Illinois Wesleyan 5
Augustana 2

IWU: Rodriguez (1) 00:22, Kokes (4) 7:09, Hart (1) 14:21, Malone (2) 19:49, Kokes (5) 58:10
AC: Gabrielson (4) 56:09, Chammas (2) 80:25

Illinois Wesleyan, despite its putrid start to the season, continues to make itself relevant in the CCIW playoff race by winning a laugher over an Augie team that has lost six straight, all to CCIW teams and only one of which was a one-goal margin.

* * *

In non-conference play, Wheaton lost early in the day on the East Coast to Ramapo, 2-1. Since Wheaton has to play a better NJAC team than the Roadrunners on Monday, Rutgers-Newark, I suspect that the Orange and Blue will return home next week without any lingering fond thoughts of Joisey.

[Gregory Sager]

Final from Keller Field:

Carthage 4
UW-Eau Claire 0

Moran (4) 46:10, McCaw (5) 47:42, Balas (1) 75:30, Balas (2) 78:00

A nice win for Carthage, which is now 8-5-2, as UWEC boasts a very good record for a first-year program at 10-3 even with today's loss.

[CardinalAlum]

Overtime final at Hedstrand Field:

North Park 2
North Central 1

NPU: Olsen (13) 85:49, Anamoo (8) 91:15
NCC: Kraemer (5) 55:36

As Mr. B said, the two teams traded second-half PK goals, with NPU's coming uncomfortably late after being drawn against a packed-in NCC defense. But, once the game got level, the Cardinals were at a distinct disadvantage -- not just because the Vikings have more weapons, but because the visitors were down a man after drawing a red card. Only 26 seconds into OT, Jesse Anamoo was whistled for an offsides in a situation where he had an open net in front of him. But 49 seconds after that he more than made up for it by banging home the coup de grace on a marvelous three-touch sequence between Gustav Ericsson, Patrick Knap, and Anamoo that put the Vikings in the driver's seat in their quest for their fourth straight CCIW title.

* * *

Final from the Schneid:

Carroll 2
Millikin 1

CU: Buffington (2) 51:56, Walters (2) 82:21
MU: Fallert (1) 56:16

Carroll's up-and-down travels on the back nine of this season take an upswing, while Millikin's just playing out the string at this point.

* * *

Final from Neis Field:

Illinois Wesleyan 5
Augustana 2

IWU: Rodriguez (1) 00:22, Kokes (4) 7:09, Hart (1) 14:21, Malone (2) 19:49, Kokes (5) 58:10
AC: Gabrielson (4) 56:09, Chammas (2) 80:25

Illinois Wesleyan, despite its putrid start to the season, continues to make itself relevant in the CCIW playoff race by winning a laugher over an Augie team that has lost six straight, all to CCIW teams and only one of which was a one-goal margin.

* * *

In non-conference play, Wheaton lost early in the day on the East Coast to Ramapo, 2-1. Since Wheaton has to play a better NJAC team than the Roadrunners on Monday, Rutgers-Newark, I suspect that the Orange and Blue will return home next week without any lingering fond thoughts of Joisey.

Thoughts on the 2nd yellow that caused the red?  I've seen the video of it from only one angle and it appeared to be a ball first then clipped him on the follow through and turning his back into him.  But you saw it firsthand.  Tough loss for the Cards but the program seems to be heading in a good direction under Enzo. 

[Gregory Sager]

Thoughts on the 2nd yellow that caused the red?  I've seen the video of it from only one angle and it appeared to be a ball first then clipped him on the follow through and turning his back into him.  But you saw it firsthand.

I've replayed the incident in full seven or eight times, and if I can read referee Victor Gonzalez's mind, I think that there were several factors that went into the call that sent off NCC's Jack Fairwood with the second yellow:

* Fairwood and NPU wing Erik Lundeen had just tangled immediately prior to the play, with some of the customary pushing and tugging that's involved in every touchline play in soccer;

* Fairwood ran back out onto the field about ten yards when the ball was awarded to Lundeen for the throw-in, but then immediately turned around 180 degrees and sprinted back towards Lundeen. This gave Gonzalez, who was positioned about ten yards beyond where Fairwood spun around, the clear impression that Fairwood was giving himself a running start in order to target Lundeen. This is reinforced by the fact that Fairwood ran right past NPU's Peder Olsen, who was the recipient of the throw-in, and Fairwood likewise never bothered to even glance at NPU defender William Boström-Rydfjall, who was behind the throw-in spot and, as a big guy with a booming leg who didn't have a Cardinal in his vicinity, was actually a more logical choice for Lundeen to throw in to than the closely-guarded Olsen was from that throw-in spot back in NPU's defensive third. Fairwood obviously had Lundeen in his cross-hairs, even before Lundeen had stepped in bounds; and

* when Fairwood made contact with Lundeen, just as Lundeen had stepped in bounds and was carrying his right leg forward on the first touch from Olsen's return pass, Fairwood turned his body around and launched into Lundeen's leg butt-first. That's the foul part of the issue. But the fact that he had run back onto the field, then turned right around and sprinted past the throw-in's recipient straight as an arrow towards Lundeen before Lundeen was even back in bounds, is what turned the foul into a yellow card.

A lot of Cardinals fans in the stands were screaming at Gonzalez for making that call. (You can hear some of their complaints on the broadcast, via the field mic we place at midfield.) If I was in their shoes, I probably would've done the same thing. But once you replay that sequence on the video and can see how Fairwood ran onto the field just in order to give himself a running start at Lundeen -- which is the sort of thing that fans don't see, since everybody watches the ball -- you can't really argue the call anymore. Fairwood's downfall was that he was right in Gonzalez's line of sight when he turned around and made that run back at Lundeen.

As my colorman Scot Gladstone mentioned on the broadcast, we spent a lot of time talking about Fairwood when the Vikings and Cards scrimmaged last spring. I really like Fairwood as a player. He's what Scot calls a "firecracker" -- an energy guy who throws himself around the field fearlessly, has a reputation for playing physically and knows how to parlay that rep into making the other guy flinch on 50/50 balls and second balls, and will do whatever is necessary to pick up his team. As I mentioned on the broadcast, NPU has its own analogue for Fairwood in freshman midfielder Toby Lunde. They're the type of player you love if he's on your team and hate if he's on the other team, and I personally think that they bring a lot to the table in terms of a team's makeup.

But once you've been booked, you have to adjust your game. Even if you're the player that your team depends upon for your physical play, you have to moderate what you're doing out there. You can't simply forget in the heat of the moment that you're playing with a yellow card already attached to your name. Fairwood forgot that on Saturday night, and he paid the price for it. And it hurt his team, because it made parking the bus harder by opening up more lanes for Vikings passes and probes within NCC's box. And once NPU got level on Olsen's PK goal, NCC no longer had the ability to cover ground with only nine field players to grapple with NPU's speed and technical skill.

Tactically, it seemed surprising that Enzo didn't just stick to his defensive shell after the North Park goal and try to weather out the storm for another 24 minutes in order to come away with the 1-1 tie. Strategically, though, I understand that in terms of the CCIW standings NPU could absorb a tie with NCC and still stay ahead of the Cardinals in the standings at 5-0-1 to 5-0-2, so in the larger context I think that Enzo made the right decision by playing to win rather than tie.

Tough loss for the Cards but the program seems to be heading in a good direction under Enzo.

Scot and I spent so much time on Saturday night praising the Cardinals that a casual observer might've wondered if WONC had commandeered the broadcast. North Central is very much on the upswing, and the Cardinals will be a constant presence at or near the top of the CCIW standings as long as Enzo's around. I'm sure of it.

[d4_Pace]

I haven't seen the play so I probably shouldn't weigh in but what you have described is a very common play that happens in soccer all the time where you anticipate that a player receiving a throw in will play it back to the thrower and immediately pressure them. This happens all the time and does not reveal a player's intent to get retribution. This is a heads up anticipation play that happens at every game about the age of 14.

Now like I said I didn't see the play and maybe he crushed into the guy and it warranted a yellow. But your post makes it seem like his 10 yard to sprint ignoring Olsen to tackle the thrower is what made it a yellow and if thats the case then its a bad call.

[Gregory Sager]

I haven't seen the play so I probably shouldn't weigh in but what you have described is a very common play that happens in soccer all the time where you anticipate that a player receiving a throw in will play it back to the thrower and immediately pressure them. This happens all the time and does not reveal a player's intent to get retribution. This is a heads up anticipation play that happens at every game about the age of 14.

Now like I said I didn't see the play and maybe he crushed into the guy and it warranted a yellow. But your post makes it seem like his 10 yard to sprint ignoring Olsen to tackle the thrower is what made it a yellow and if thats the case then its a bad call.

Yes, I know that it's de rigueur in soccer to close on a player throwing in the ball in anticipation of a return pass, same as is the case in basketball. What I think you may have missed, though, is the fact that Fairwood, as the player involved in the touchline entanglement that led to that throw-in, immediately ran out from the touchline ten yards onto the pitch before pulling off a high-speed U-ie and bearing back down on Lundeen. In other words, he wasn't some random player in the middle of the pitch who saw an uncovered man throwing in the ball and ran in to challenge him. Fairwood deliberately ran away and then came back for the obvious purpose of building up a head of steam before crashing into Lundeen, rather than simply sticking close to the touchline and marking Lundeen as would typically be the case.