Naperville, Ill. - The fourth-seeded Wheaton women's soccer team faced No. 1 seed North Central College (15-0-1) on Wednesday night in a semifinal at the 2026 CCIW Women's Soccer Championship. The Cardinals defeated the Thunder 3-0 to advance to the tournament final on Saturday. Wheaton concludes the season with a 6-10-3 overall record.
North Central picked up the pace midway through the first half and that resulted in the Cardinals' first goal at the 22:24 mark of the match as Reese Anderson scored her eighth goal of the season. Kara Waishwell assisted on the go-ahead goal for the hosts. Less than two minutes later, North Central's Baylee Burbidge extended the hosts' lead to 2-0 with her fourth goal of the year at the 24:06 mark of the contest. Anderson and Gabriella Mattio assisted on the second goal. The Cardinals' scoring surge in a 10-minute span concluded with a goal by Sissi Loza that was assisted by Madison DeVriendt. The Cardinals' three goals occurred between the 23rd and 31st minutes of the match.
North Central out-shot the Thunder 10-0 in the first half as the Cardinals had six shots on goal in the first 45 minutes. North Central was awarded three corner kicks in the first half and Wheaton had one.
Wheaton goalkeeper
Lydia Martin made six saves in the match, allowing three goals, in 90 minutes of work. North Central's Emma Megerle made one save in posting a shutout for the hosts.
North Central out-shot the guests 21-3 in the match, including a 9-1 advantage in shots on goal for NCC. The Cardinals were awarded eight corner kicks and the Thunder had three.
