The Carthage College men’s soccer team (10-6-5, 5-1-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin), ranked eighth in the Nov. 5 NCAA Division III Central Regional poll, played top-seeded and conference-champion Wheaton College (Ill., 15-3-3, 6-0-1 CCIW), ranked 17th in the Nov. 4 National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas® NCAA Division III poll, to a 0-0 tie in double-overtime on Saturday, Nov. 8 in the championship game of the CCIW Men’s Soccer Tournament at Joe Bean Stadium in Wheaton, Ill. The Thunder received the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship, 4-3, on penalty kicks.
Carthage played 220 minutes of CCIW tournament soccer without scoring or allowing a goal. The second-seeded Red Men played third-seeded Illinois Wesleyan University (8-8-2, 5-2 CCIW) to a 0-0 tie in double-overtime on Wednesday, Nov. 5 in a semifinal contest at Art Keller Field in Kenosha, Wis. Carthage advanced to the championship game, 5-3, on penalty kicks, while Wheaton (Ill.) defeated fourth-seeded North Park University (10-8-1, 5-2 CCIW), 4-2, in the other semifinal contest at Joe Bean Stadium. The championship game was played with the temperature in the mid 30s and a wind chill in the upper 20s. The two teams battled through two scoreless regulation periods and a pair of scoreless overtime periods. With the shootout tied at 3-3, Carthage’s Gary Mouradian missed, with a save by Wheaton goalie Joe Selvaggio, and the Thunder’s Joel DeLass connected on the game-winning score. Carthage did not receive an at-large berth when the NCAA announced the field for the 58-team championship on Monday, Nov. 10.