CCIW

[Gregory Sager]

Congrats to NPU freshman Hannes Granlund upon being named the CCIW's Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. I didn't realize until I read the press release that he played the entire match against Elmhurst while suffering from the stomach flu. Wow.

NPU has moved up to #4 in the Central Region in this week's NSCAA rankings. Elmhurst drops to #10.

Incidentally, the only CCIW team to receive votes in the latest d3soccer.com poll is ... Elmhurst? I don't get that at all. The poll covers games played thru Sunday, and NPU defeated Elmhurst 2-0 two days earlier to take over first place in the league. And if you're arguing that Elmhurst has the better overall resume, you're talking about a 6-5 team (the Bluejays) getting votes while the 6-2 team (the Vikings) isn't.

[tjcummingsfan]

Looks like Wheaton decided they didn't want another winless month and took it to Elmhurst tonight 3-0.  Rough start for Elmhurst in conference play, I would imagine that'll guarantee they won't get votes the next time around in the d3soccer.com poll.

Does this end Elmhurst's hopes to even make the tournament?  It'll sure be tough from here on out I would imagine.

North Park left Bloomington with a draw (1-1).  Hopefully they'll be able to find the net a few more times this weekend when Wheaton heads to Holmgren field. 

[thePietist]

Congrats, Wheaton.  Elmhurst...whoa.
Looks like NP continues to have trouble putting away the CCIW teams they "should" beat.  At least, that's been an issue in the past. 
The rankings are screwed up.  Perhaps better that the Park stays off the national list.  That tends to be short lived and a recipe for a quick loss.  But its a shame that the CCIW isn't represented in the national rankings--usually we can at least count on Wheaton to bear that buden.

[DIIIdad]

But its a shame that the CCIW isn't represented in the national rankings--usually we can at least count on Wheaton to bear that buden.

The women of the CCIW are representing well with 3 teams in the top 10 - IWU at 4, Augie at 6 and Wheaton at 10.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park left Bloomington with a draw (1-1).  Hopefully they'll be able to find the net a few more times this weekend when Wheaton heads to Holmgren field. 

The house will be rocking, I can guarantee that. NPU students have even launched a Facebook page promoting Saturday night's WC @ NPU match. I expect to see a lot of blue and gold body paint and hear a whole lotta noise on Saturday.

Looks like NP continues to have trouble putting away the CCIW teams they "should" beat.

It looks as though it must've been a very frustrating evening for the Park. NPU had a penalty kick that didn't beat the keeper and a crossbar shot in the first half, but the Vikings didn't even score until the last ten minutes of regulation. However, the Vikings got off a bunch of shots at the Titans net in the two overtimes, while IWU didn't even get off one shot -- but NPU just couldn't bring it home.

Perhaps better that the Park stays off the national list.  That tends to be short lived and a recipe for a quick loss.

That's fine with me, too. Better to be the hunter than the hunted.

But its a shame that the CCIW isn't represented in the national rankings--usually we can at least count on Wheaton to bear that buden.

It's just not a soccer league -- at least not yet. Throughout most of CCIW history soccer was a sport that was basically ignored by all but one member school. The league didn't even sponsor soccer as an official sport until 1988, which really tells you something when you consider that the league was founded in 1946. Heck, when the CCIW started playing soccer in '88 it was only a six-team circuit; Carthage didn't even field a men's soccer team until 1995, and Elmhurst didn't add one until 2004. Wheaton was a national soccer powerhouse in spite of its CCIW membership, not because of it, which is a weird thing to consider if you follow this league and know how good it tends to be on a national basis in multiple sports. Wheaton could basically sleepwalk its way through the league for years; the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance lost only one CCIW match in the first fifteen years that the league offered the sport. NPU's ascendancy in the middle of the last decade ended that, and Carthage and Elmhurst -- ironically, the two latecomers to soccer -- have each won a CCIW title since then as well.

But there just isn't the tradition here that there is in other leagues, aside from Wheaton, and I think we have more of a situation in which Wheaton has fallen back to the pack a bit as a program rather than NPU, Carthage, Elmhurst, or anybody else rising up to join the orange and blue at a higher level. However, Jim might disagree with me about that, and he's the CCIW guru when it comes to this sport.

[markerickson]

I know Wheaton recruited a teammate of mine who was a year behind me.  He was all-state his senior year (1982), and I believe Wheaton won a national championship at some point during his undergraduate years.

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton won the national championship in 1984.

[augie77]

They also won a national title in 1997 and were national finalists in 2006.

This year they are exceptionally young, having started nine freshmen at one time or another.  Playing the toughest schedule in the country (according to the NCAA) hasn't helped in the win loss column, but these kids are becoming battle tested and could still go on a run.

North Park is the team to beat this year.  Interesting matchup at North Park on Saturday will tell us a lot.  Regardless, the future looks bright.

[Gregory Sager]

They also won a national title in 1997 and were national finalists in 2006.

I know. I was just responding to Mark's comment, since he wasn't sure which year his former teammate helped win the Big Doorstop for Wheaton.

This year they are exceptionally young, having started nine freshmen at one time or another.  Playing the toughest schedule in the country (according to the NCAA) hasn't helped in the win loss column, but these kids are becoming battle tested and could still go on a run.

That, plus Wheaton's reputation, is why every NPU fan is wary about tomorrow evening's matchup.

North Park is the team to beat this year.  Interesting matchup at North Park on Saturday will tell us a lot.  Regardless, the future looks bright.

... for both programs, I'd say, given what NPU's freshmen and sophomores have contributed to the success of the Vikings this season.

[thePietist]

Anyone have NP v WC results/wrap-up?

[radchii]

The CCIW.org website has Wheaton 3 and North Park 1.

[thePietist]

Looks like it was an exciting match.  I hope some of you have some commentary.  I see that Wheaton's Golz not only had 2 goals but 2 yellows, getting tossed at the end of the game right after his 2nd goal.  What's up with that?

[Gotberg]

Looks like it was an exciting match.  I hope some of you have some commentary.  I see that Wheaton's Golz not only had 2 goals but 2 yellows, getting tossed at the end of the game right after his 2nd goal.  What's up with that?

I logged off my computer right after Wheaton's 3rd goal, but based on your description I would assume the Wheaton player took his shirt off in celebration of the goal.  That's an immediate yellow card.

[oldtrafford]

Second Yellow was for the celebration....Elmhurst drops a non-conference game to Lake Forest? that's not going to sit well with mr. coach.  time to start worrying about the remainder of the season?

[d3fan1]

Don't look now, but Wheaton looks ready to sweep the conference and get the AQ. Carthage could be a road block, but I predict the young Wheaton squad will come of age after the grueling schedule they played and make to the National tournament with the AQ.