CCIW

[Gotberg]

The NPU roster is posted:  https://athletics.northpark.edu/sports/mens-soccer/roster?view=2

One interesting note is the return of Emil Svenander.  He wasn't on the roster last year, after having played the year before.  He's the forward that had transferred from Wingate University.

[Gregory Sager]

There are 61 players listed on the NPU roster, so I think Kris Grahn has broken his own record for the largest roster in league history.

Eight Vikings return whose 2024 starts were in double digits, and eight other returnees saw at least 200 minutes of action in 2024, and two-time All-Region CB Christian Vaaland is also back for another go-round after missing all but two games last season to a concussion, so there's a lot of experience present. This should be a very competitive Vikings team that has something to prove after their dispiriting first-round flameout in the 2024 D3 tourney.

[Kuiper]

CCIW has posted its Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll.  North Park is chosen to finish first almost unanimously (if coaches are permitted to vote for their own team, that would explain Carroll's one vote).

2025 CCIW Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
 Team (First-place votes)     Points
 1. North Park (8)     64
 2. Wheaton     55
 3. North Central     48
 4. Carroll (1)     45
 5. Illinois Wesleyan     31
 6. Carthage     28
 7. Millikin     25
 T8. Augustana     14
 T8. Elmhurst     14

[Gregory Sager]

CCIW has posted its Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll.  North Park is chosen to finish first almost unanimously (if coaches are permitted to vote for their own team, that would explain Carroll's one vote).

2025 CCIW Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
 Team (First-place votes)      Points
 1. North Park (8)      64
 2. Wheaton      55
 3. North Central      48
 4. Carroll (1)      45
 5. Illinois Wesleyan      31
 6. Carthage      28
 7. Millikin      25
 T8. Augustana      14
 T8. Elmhurst      14

You can't vote for your own team in CCIW coaches polls. The lone first-place vote for the Pioneers therefore belonged to NPU head coach Kris Grahn.

It's an interesting choice on Kris's part, given that North Central, Wheaton, and Carthage are the other three established powers in the league besides NPU, but it's not entirely shocking. The Pioneers finished third in the CCIW last season, and, although their number of returning starters (six) is fairly modest, one of those six is Marti Solanelles, the most electric offensive player in the league. The Barcelona native tied for the overall goal-scoring crown in 2024 with nine goals, and he achieved it in only 13 games before his season ended prematurely (injury, I assume) in the first half of Carroll's game against visiting Millikin.

The big news is that Carthage has been picked as low as sixth by the coaches -- and not that far above #7 Millikin, either. Even though Carthage hasn't posted its roster yet, a scan of the Firebirds roster from last season indicates that it's likely that Carthage will only return five starters from last year's squad, with the key being that the departed half-dozen includes Mickey Reilly and Aidan Crowder, arguably the best one-two scoring punch that the Carthage MSOC program has ever had. (If one of you old heads wants to put forth an argument for the Domin/Pryputniewicz duo back in the mid-'90s, when the Firebirds were still known as the Redmen, make your case. ) The Firebirds had a tough go of it last season, going only 6-8-2 overall and finishing out of the money in the CCIW in a seventh-place tie with Augie at 2-5-1, and I guess it's tough to envision Paul Leese being able to pick up the pieces from that down year so quickly while simultaneously losing so much firepower.

I'm interested in hearing from any Wheaton or NCC followers, if they're reading this, regarding the prospects for their respective teams in 2025.

[Gregory Sager]

Season previews:

Carroll: https://gopios.com/news/2025/8/28/mens-soccer-2025-season-preview.aspx

Illinois Wesleyan: https://www.iwusports.com/news/2025/8/28/mens-soccer-mens-soccer-readies-for-two-game-tilt-in-kentucky.aspx

Millikin: https://athletics.millikin.edu/news/2025/8/28/big-blue-mens-soccer-gears-up-for-the-2025-season.aspx

North Central: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/qMUo7QLa1ZKAw

North Park: https://athletics.northpark.edu/news/2025/8/28/athletic-department-2025-north-park-mens-soccer-season-preview.aspx

[Kuiper]

Bob Quillman posted a rumor that CCIW is going to be adding a 10th member and that school will be from Wisconsin. 

Per sources, the CCIW will soon approve a 10th member school.  And will add more "W."

Logan Hansen offered post 1 and post 2 about different groups of schools that could fit the bill (although Northland closed already, so that's out).  Since Wash U. was expelled from the CCIW as an associate member for football after the 2025 season, it's reasonable to expect that the new member will be a school that sponsors football, but he provides a list of Wisconsin schools for both.

Just looking at private schools in Wisconsin who sponsor football:
• Beloit
• Concordia (WI)
• Lakeland
• Lawrence
• Ripon
• St. Norbert
• Wisconsin Lutheran

If I expand that to include private schools without football:
• Edgewood
• Maranatha Baptist
• Marian
• Milwaukee School of Engineering
• Northland
• kinda sorta UW-Superior

[Gregory Sager]

Bob Quillman posted a rumor that CCIW is going to be adding a 10th member and that school will be from Wisconsin.

What Bob was actually hinting at is a fait accompli that's been in the works for months. As for responding to Bob's clue, I will invoke the Fifth Amendment and let the CCIW office do its job without my unsought assistance.

[Kuiper]

Bob Quillman posted a rumor that CCIW is going to be adding a 10th member and that school will be from Wisconsin.

What Bob was actually hinting at is a fait accompli that's been in the works for months. As for responding to Bob's clue, I will invoke the Fifth Amendment and let the CCIW office do its job without my unsought assistance.

Blink twice if "more W", means Whitworth from Washington is moving to the CCIW.  That's three "W's" right there!

[Gregory Sager]

[SierraFD3soccer]

DEEP reference. 1 in 20 or 1 in 30 might get?  Nice.

[Ejay]

It's likely that most of us are old enough to know this - lol

[Kuiper]

According to a post by Bob Quillman, the new member of the CCIW starting in 2026 is Concordia (WI)

Per multiple sources, while there is still one final vote remaining (tomorrow), Concordia (WI) will be named the 10th member of the @CCIW_Athletics
.

Will be effective '26-27 school year.

As far as CCIW soccer is concerned, Concordia (WI) has had some success in over the last decade or so in the NACC, finishing first in the standings, or tied for first, 4 times between 2015 and 2024, but the last few years have been down years.

[Kuiper]

CCIW Announces 2025 All-Conference Teams

The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) announced the 2025 Men's Soccer All-Conference Team on Friday morning. League champion Wheaton placed five student-athletes on the list of honorees, including four First Team selections.
 
North Central freshman forward Joseph Sargent was voted CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year and CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year. In conference play, the Evanston, Ill. native led all league players with 14 points, seven goals and 17 shots on goal. He scored in 10 matches overall this fall, including multi-goal performances in league action against Carroll and Augustana.
 
The CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year is Wheaton senior Wes Seneff. He helped the Thunder to a 7-0-1 mark and an outright league title for the second consecutive season. Wheaton posted a 0.63 goals-against average in eight league contests. Seneff also added assists in matches against Elmhurst and North Central.
 
Jack Krahel of Wheaton was voted CCIW Goalkeeper of the Year after leading the conference in goals-against average (0.62), saves percentage (.886) and shutouts (five). The graduate student from Mableton, Ga. played all 720 CCIW minutes for the league champs, allowing only five goals and tallying 39 saves.
 
Wheaton was the recipient of the Joe Bean Coaching Staff of the Year. Led by head coach Steve McCrath, the Thunder repeated as league champions for the first time since winning four in a row from 2012 through 2015. McCrath, now in his fourth season with the Thunder, was also voted the league's top coach by his peers in each of the previous two seasons.
 
2025 CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Year
Joseph Sargent, North Central
 
2025 CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year
Wes Seneff, Wheaton
 
2025 CCIW Goalkeeper of the Year
Jack Krahel, Wheaton
 
2025 CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year
Joseph Sargent, North Central
 
2025 CCIW Joe Bean Coaching Staff of the Year
Wheaton
 
2025 All-CCIW First Team
Javi Landin, Augustana, Fr., F, Pontevedra, Spain, South Kent
Matthew Meke, Carroll, Sr., M, Oostburg, Wis., Oostburg
Ryder Coleman, Illinois Wesleyan, Jr., F, Bannockburn, Ill.,Deerfield
Bryce Davis, Millikin, Jr., F, Bethalto, Ill., Civic Memorial
Aleks Duncevic, North Central, Fr., M, Addison, Ill., Addison Trail
Joseph Sargent, North Central, Fr., F, Evanston, Ill., Evanston Township
Bastian Eikeland, North Park, So., M, Stavanger, Norway, St. Svithun vgs
Hugo Neborg, North Park, Sr., D, Halmsted, Sweden, Sannarpsgymnasiet
Christian Vaaland, North Park, Gr., D, Stavanger, Norway, WANG Toppidrett Stavanger
Jack Krahel, Wheaton, Gr., GK, Mableton, Ga., Whitefield Academdy
Craig Rusin, Wheaton, So., M, Crown Point, Ind., Lake Central
Wes Seneff, Wheaton, Sr., D, Orlando, Fla., Lake Highland Preparatory School
Luke Vander Kolk, Wheaton, Jr., F/M, Stamford, Conn., Academy of Information Technology and Engineering
 
2025 All-CCIW Second Team
Nico Hinten, Carroll, Sr., M, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Berlage Lyceum
Iskander Sharipov, Carroll, Fr., M, Waukesha, Wis., Waukesha South
Marti Solanelles, Carroll, Sr., F, Barcelona, Spain, CIC Batxllerats
Jordan Mok, Carthage, So., M, Palatine, Ill., Palatine
Klaus Gartner, Elmhurst, Fr., F, Columbia, Gimnasio Vermont
Sam Kedzior, Illinois Wesleyan, Sr., GK, Cary, Ill, Cary-Grove
Jerry Smazil, Illinois Wesleyan, Sr., D, Downers Grove, Ill., Downers Grove South
Landon Welch, Millikin, Sr., M, Millstadt, Ill., Belleville Althoff
Marco Costabile, North Central, Fr., M, Bartlett, Ill., Bartlett
Griffin French, North Central, Fr., D, Cedarburg, Wis., Cedarburg
Joris Rijnja, North Central, Sr., D, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Mathias Soerum, North Park, Jr., M, Brumunddal, Norway, Storhamar
Garrett Belcher, Wheaton, So., D, LIttleton, Colo., Heritage
 
CCIW RESPECT Award Recipients
William Gabrielsson, Augustana, Fr., GK, Stockholm, Sweden, Tibble Gymnasium
William Harris, Carroll, Jr., D, Lemont, Ill., Lemont
Emmitt Hansen, Carthage, Jr., M, Iowa City, Iowa, City
Michail Tzankov, Elmhurst, Sr., F, Cupertino, Calif., Monta Vista
Brayden Gemaehlich, Illinois Wesleyan, Sr., GK, Fort Collins, Colo., Fossil Ridge
Amari Terrell, Millikin, Jr., M, Rolla, Mo., Rolla
Gege Nikiema, North Central, So., F, Pisa, Italy
Vidar Rydell, North Park, Sr., M, Varberg, Sweden, Peder Skrivares Skola
Sam Grotelueschen, Wheaton, Sr., D, Colorado Springs, Colo., The Classical Academy

[FRBD1]

Not sure of the rules, but the offensive player of the year received a red card a good 10 minutes after the game ended last Saturday.  Never seen that before.  Does he sit the next game or is he done for the tourney?

[College Soccer Observer]

He sits out the next game.