wheaton advances on penalty kicks at 2008 cciw men's soccer tournament championship

WHEATON, Ill. -- Wheaton and Carthage finished the championship game of the 2008 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men's Soccer Tournament in a 0-0 tie on Saturday. But Wheaton advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship by virtue of a 4-3 penalty kick advantage.

The NCAA will announce the selections for the 2008 Division III Men's Soccer Championship on Monday, November 10.

Wheaton entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed after winning the conference's regular season title while Carthage was the No. 2 seed. The Red Men were winners of the regular season title in 2007. Carthage goalkeeper Andy Connor (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel Catholic) and Wheaton goalkeeper Kit Carson (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) kept each team scoreless as Connor finished with 12 saves and Carson finished with four saves.

Wheaton's Joel DeLass (Spring Lake, Mich./Western Michigan Christian) finished with 10 shots and scored the winning penalty kick to send the Thunder to the national tournament.

With Wheaton earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, several other CCIW schools will wait for Monday's announcement of at-large bids. Wheaton enters the national stage having advanced to the national championship game in 2006.

Tournament Results

Wednesday, November 5 (Semifinals)
#1 Wheaton 4, #4 North Park 2
#2 Carthage 0, #3 Illinois Wesleyan 0
(Carthage advances 5-3 on penalty kicks)

Saturday, November 8 (Championship)
#1 Wheaton 0, #2 Carthage 0
(Wheaton advances 4-3 on penalty kicks)