LIVONIA, Mich. - No. 19 Indiana Wesleyan Men's Soccer traveled to No. 23 Madonna University for a sunny and hot Tuesday midday match. The Wildcats took on their second straight top 25 opponent after coming to draw with No. 25 Olivet Nazarene last Saturday. IWU was able to return last year's loss to the Crusaders by winning 2-0 today.
The two familiar foes battled early with 10 combined shots before the hydration break with 18 minutes left in the period. IWU thought they had taken the lead in the 25th minute, but the goal was called off due to an offsides. Great plays were made by both goalkeepers throughout the half and halftime began with zeros on the board. Jose Garcia was the Wildcat to break the scoreless tie off an assist by Camilo Pereda in the 52nd minute. Keeping the pressure on, IWU scored again in the 63rd minute as Garcia assisted Mariano Chaves for his first goal of the young season. The red and grey held strong for the rest of the way and walked out with a top 25 victory.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Livonia, Mich. | MU Soccer and Lacrosse Field
- Records: IWU: 3-0-1 (0-0-0) | MU: 1-1-2 (0-0-0)
- NAIA Top 25 Poll: IWU - #19 | MU - #23
WHAT HAPPENED
- Neither side was able to find the back of the net in the first half despite a total of 14 shots combined.
- Jose Garcia scored his first goal of the 2026 campaign in the 52nd minute assisted by Camilo Pereda.
- Mariano Chaves pushed the lead to 2-0 in the 63rd minute as Garcia gained the assist.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 1: Both Jose Garcia and Mariano Chaves scored their first goal of the season.
- 0: The Wildcat defense walled up, not allowing a single shot on goal.
- 15: IWU ended the match with 15 shots, landing 10 on frame, compared to only 6 by Madonna.
GARCIA PERSPECTIVE
- "Heat played a major role in the game today. The conditions were really tough, but I think we did a huge effort as a team to stay focused and compete for the whole 90 minutes," said goal scorer Jose Garcia. "Personally, I'm really happy to score again and also contribute with an assist. After everything I've done to recover from injuries and be able to play again, moments like this feel very rewarding. It feels even better when the goal helps open up a tight game and contributes to the team getting the win. Overall, I'm really happy with the result and proud of the effort we showed as a team in such difficult conditions."
LOOKING FORWARD
- IWU will play again this Saturday, the 5th against Westcliff at 4:00 PM.
- Links for tickets, video, and stats are available at IWUWildcats.com.
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