By Jordan Vejar
Week Five in D-III soccer means conference play is now in full swing all across the region! Starting off conference season strong will be vital for teams to begin their journeys to get to the national tournament in November.
ILLINOIS
North Park University (6-3-0 / 1-0-0) had two strong performances last week defeating Hope (6-4-0) 4-0 on the road and then capped off the week with a home victory against conference opponent, Augustana (2-4-1 / 0-1-0). Coach Grahn and his side will have an early week contest on Tuesday vs Dubuque (6-2-1 / 1-0-0) and then start a four-game conference stretch starting with Millikin (4-4-1 / 0-1-0) on Saturday on the road. The Vikings allowed no goals in their last two matches while notching six. They will aim to continue their strong form this week.
OHIO
Ohio Wesleyan (5-3-2 / 1-0-0)) are riding a three-game unbeaten streak that continued last week when the Battling Bishops tied Capital (3-2-3) 1-1 then went on the road to finish the week by beating conference opponent, Denison (3-5-1 / 0-1-0), 1-0. Coach Martin and his squad have proved they can play with some of the region and nation’s best teams from their prior results of beating Calvin (10-1-0) on the road 2-1 and tying Case Western Reserve (5-3-2). Their final non-conference match will come this Wednesday against one of the nation’s best, John Carroll (7-1-1), on the road. The Battling Bishops will finish the week with an NCAC conference game at Oberlin (3-7-0 / 0-1-0).
KENTUCKY
Spalding University (6-2-2 finished their final non-conference slate with a draw with Hanover (3-4-1). The Golden Eagles have only conceded one goal in their last three matches. Coach Boyer and his side will begin SLIAC conference play at their new facility this Saturday against Fontbonne (1-8-1). This will start a three-game conference homestand for the Golden Eagles.
INDIANA
Wabash College (5-3-1 / 1-0-0) extended their unbeaten streak to three games last week by tying Olivet (3-6-1) 2-2 in double overtime and then picked up their first NCAC conference win against Wooster (4-6-0 / 0-1-0) 3-0. The Little Giants have one more non-conference game left as they host Mount St. Joseph (2-7-0) on Tuesday then hit the road for their second conference match vs Hiram (5-3-2 / 1-0-0). Coach Keller and his side who were picked to finished fourth in the NCAC, hope to continue their strong start to the conference season following their match on Tuesday.
IOWA
Loras College (9-1-1 / 1-0-0) are riding a three-game winning streak after defeating University of Wisconsin-Platteville (3-5-2) and American Rivers conference opponent, Coe College (4-6-0 / 0-1-0) last week. The Duhawks have had no problem scoring goals after notching 17 goals in their latest three matches while only conceding one. Coach Rothert and the Duhawks will have their final non-conference game against St. Norbert (6-2-2 / 1-0-1) on the road Wednesday then will travel to play a red hot Central College (9-1-1 / 1-0-0)) side for their second conference contest of the year.
MICHIGAN
Albion College (5-4-1) began the season with a shaky start, but the Britons extended their winning streak to four games last week after defeating their final non-conference opponent, Bluffton (4-5-0) 3-1 on Friday. Coach Molenaar and his side will carry a lot of momentum into this week as they begin conference play Tuesday at Trine (3-4-0) and finish the week off at home against Alma (3-5-0). The Britons are firing on both sides of the ball right now notching 14 goals and only conceding three goals in the last four matches.
MISSOURI
Washington U. (4-2-1) has won four of their last five games, including a local derby win against Webster (6-2-1), which was head coach Joe Clarke’s 450th career win. The Bears have one last non-conference match before breaking into UAA play and one of the toughest conference slates in the country.
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