Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College men's soccer team has advanced to the finals of the Midwest Conference Tournament after a dramatic victory over Knox. The match, held at Farwell Field, ended in penalty kicks on Friday.

Illinois College, seeded second in the tournament, improved their overall record to 14-4-1. Knox, seeded third, concluded their season with a 7-8-3 record.

The game saw IC take an early lead when Tyler Schiltz scored just over six minutes into the match with assistance from Toby Ybarra. Knox responded with goals from Arito Nakamichi and Eusebio King-Mills, taking a 2-1 lead into halftime.

In the second half, IC's Tyler Lunning tied the match with a goal assisted by Jives Efemini. Ybarra then put IC ahead before Kestervens Dera quickly equalized for Knox. The teams remained deadlocked through regulation and overtime periods.

The outcome was decided in penalty kicks after seven rounds. IC's TJ Esseily made a crucial save against Goncalo Antunes before Lunning secured victory for his team.

IC had more shots than Knox, leading 14-11 overall and were spearheaded by Lunning's four attempts. Owen Macias started as goalkeeper but was replaced by Esseily who played through overtime and penalties, making four saves.

This marks the second time Illinois College has reached the conference tournament final; they previously won as a fourth seed in 1990. This is also their second consecutive year playing an overtime match in this tournament. With this win, they set a new school record for victories in a single season with 14 wins so far. Schiltz became the school's all-time leader in goals, assists, points, and shots during this match.

Additionally, senior Thomas Menke received the 2024 Midwest Conference Elite 20 Award for having the highest GPA among student-athletes participating in the tournament.

Illinois College will face Lake Forest tomorrow at 11:00 a.m., following Lake Forest's semifinal win over Grinnell. The winner will earn an automatic berth to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.