MARION, Ind. - No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan Men's Soccer played in its first home match since October 10th to finish the regular season against No. 15 Bethel University. Both teams were tied for 1st place in the Crossroads League entering the match with a winner-take-all scenario in place. The Wildcats came out on top with a 2-1 win over the Pilots to capture their first Crossroads League Regular Season Champion title since 2015!
IWU took an early advantage after Erick Vanzela fired one in after the first set piece of the evening in the 4th minute. Later in the first half, freshman Dennis Otieno scored on a pass from Kai Haskell to give the Wildcats the 2-0 lead. In the second half, Bethel fought hard to equalize the score. The Pilots outshot the Wildcats 7 to 3 and found the net in the 72nd minute on a penalty kick. However, Indiana Wesleyan stayed strong for the rest of the half and did not allow Bethel to find the game tying goal. The Wildcats clinched the no. 1 seed in the upcoming Crossroads League Tournament and will host for as long as they stay in. The quarterfinal will feature the Trojans of Taylor making the short trek from Upland to Marion on Wednesday, November 4th.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | IWU Soccer Field
- Records: IWU: 13-2-3 (7-1-1) | BU: 10-4-3 (6-2-1)
- NAIA Top 25 Poll: IWU - #5 | BU - #15
WHAT HAPPENED
- Defender Erick Vanzela scored the first goal of the match in the 4th minute after the first corner kick by IWU.
- 20 minutes in, Dennis Otieno found the net for the second goal, assisted by Kai Haskell.
- Bethel cut the deficit by 1 in the 72nd minute by way of a penalty kick after a handball call in the IWU box.
- Goalkeeper Kadin Wolfe made 4 key saves to keep the game in IWU's control until the end.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 3: Erick Vanzela put in his 3rd goal of the season.
- 5: The goal for Dennis Otieno was his 5th of his freshman campaign.
- 7: IWU recorded 7 corner kicks in the contest to only 4 from Bethel.
REEB PERSPECTIVE
- I am so proud of this program and this team! This championship has been a long time in the making," said head coach Matt Reeb. "I am grateful for this moment and the joy it brings to the team after so many years of hard work. I am also excited for what lies ahead as we have more work to do!
LOOKING FORWARD
- IWU welcomes Taylor for the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinal on Wednesday, November 4th.
- Links for tickets, video, and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
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