BLOOMINGTON, IL – The Millikin men's soccer team scored three goals in a midweek CCIW victory over the Illinois Wesleyan Titans at Neis Field on Wednesday evening. The win marks the Big Blue's first victory at Illinois Wesleyan since 2015. With today's result, Millikin improves to 7-6-1 (3-3-0), while the Titans drop to 6-2-3 (2-1-2).
The Big Blue broke through for the first goal of the game at 14:28 after a cross from
Kyle Grasse to
Olav Kaldahl was broken up in front of the net, leaving
Luke Butler with the opportunity to slide in and knock the ball past the Titans Goalkeeper for the 1-0 advantage. Illinois Wesleyan responded in the 36th minute, knotting the match up at 1-1.
With 2:13 remaining in the first half, Millikin took back the lead. A throw-in from
Blake Helvey bounced off
Ryder Ramson and found Kaldahl who headed the ball into the lower-right corner of the net for his seventh goal of the season. The Big Blue held off the Titans for the remainder of the half, taking a 2-1 lead into the locker room.
Following the halftime break, Millikin and Illinois Wesleyan battled back and forth with 9 shots combined in the first 13 minutes of the half. In the 74th minute, the Titans answered with their second goal of the match, tying up the match, 2-2.
With 4:08 remaining in regulation, the Big Blue struck again. A pass from Kaldahl took a high bounce in front of the box and fell directly to Ramson, who fired the ball into the left of the net for the go-ahead goal. Millikin held off Illinois Wesleyan over the final minutes to secure the 3-2 victory.
"There's no easy games in the CCIW, but we dug deep and found the grove that works for us," said Head Coach
Charlie Ward. "We're going to use this momentum as we host two quality opponents in Augustana and North Park."
The Big Blue return to campus for a clash with Augustana College (IL) on Saturday, Oct. 17. The match is set to begin at 2:30 p.m. on the CCIW Network.
