MARION, Ind. - No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan Men's Soccer hosted a Crossroads League Tournament Semifinal match on Saturday evening as they welcomed the University of Saint Francis to town. The Wildcats took control early with three goals in the first 21 minutes of action. Saint Francis then scored quickly in the second half before IWU answered with another goal of their own. The Cougars continued to fight, scoring two more goals, but the top seed IWU came out with the 4-3 victory. The win gives Men's Soccer its 15th of the year, the highest win total for them since 2015.
It did not take long for IWU to take a lead as Yarek Carnegie scored an unassisted goal in the 5th minute. The second goal came on a penalty kick in the 19th minute taken by Mariano Chaves after drawing a foul inside the USF box. Shortly after, the Wildcats got a close chance that was finished by Erick Vanzela, assisted by Mariano Chaves, for his third straight game with a goal. Just over a minute into the second half, Saint Francis scored its first goal of the match. Carnegie pushed the lead back to three after finding the back of the net in the 51st minute. The Cougars made a late push with goals in the 86th and 88th minutes but it was not enough as Indiana Wesleyan held in the final minutes to keep the win intact.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | IWU Soccer Field
- Records: IWU: 15-2-3 (7-1-1) | USF: 10-8-2 (4-4-1)
- NAIA Top 25 Poll: IWU - #5 | USF - Unranked
WHAT HAPPENED
- Yarek Carnegie scored his first of two goals in the 5th minute to give him 12 on the season, a new career high.
- Mariano Chaves tied Carnegie with 12 goals this year on a penalty kick in the 19th minute.
- Erick Vanzela kept the scoring going in the 21st minute, assisted by Mariano Chaves.
- Saint Francis got its first early in the second half to make it 3-1.
- Carnegie scored his second of the night in the 51st minute to push the lead back to 3 goals and increased his new season high.
- USF scored once in the 86th minute followed by another in the 88th to cut the lead to 4-3 but IWU held in the final two minutes to win.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 15: IWU achieved 15 wins on the campaign after tonight, the highest win total for the program since 2015 when they had 16.
- 3: Erick Vanzela has scored in 3 consecutive games after his goal today.
- 13: Yarek Carnegie totals a new career-high in goals scored in a season with 13.
CARNEGIE PERSPECTIVE
- "All credit to the team and the work we put in but the jobs not done," said simply by senior Yarek Carnegie.
LOOKING FORWARD
- IWU will play in the Crossroads League Tournament Championship for the first time since 2021 against the winner of Bethel and Marian on Wednesday.
- Links for tickets, video, and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
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