By Hannah Bartlebaugh, Staff Writer
The Wheaton College men’s soccer team completed a near-perfect regular season this year, finishing with an overall record of 11 wins, 3 losses and 4 ties.
The team finished with a conference record of 7-0-1, the first season without a conference loss since the 2013. Wheaton finished with the best regular season record in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) for the second year in a row, and won the conference trophy after their Oct. 29 game against North Central College, which ended in a 2-2 draw.
Head coach Steve McCrath says that this is the first year the team secured its conference title entirely by its own efforts. In previous years, they were helped by other teams’ wins or losses. “That’s a testament to the leadership group, all the players in general, the coaching staff,” he said. “It’s just been really that type of year.”
Several players earned individual all-CCIW honors, including graduate student Jack Krahel in the leadership program. Krahel earned the CCIW Goalkeeper of the Year Award, and was also named to the All-CCIW first team roster. He said that while it is nice to be recognized, the award should be seen as a team effort. “I like to look at it like I’m the figurehead, the person that’s receiving the award on behalf of the entire defense,” he said.
Junior business economics major Luke Vander Kolk, who plays forward, was also named to the All-CCIW first team roster. He also credited the team’s effort and camaraderie in helping him achieve his success. “They all pushed me to be a better player and I just am thankful for a team that has allowed me to stand out and be myself,” he said.
The team’s road games were turning points for this season. This year, they traveled to Seattle, Wash., in early September, where they defeated Pacific Lutheran University 2-1 and tied 2-2 with the University of Puget Sound. This was the first time in 10 years that they won a game on a cross-country road trip. A few weeks later, the team traveled to St. Louis, Mo., where they lost two games.
Krahel said that the leadership group of players met afterwards to discuss what they could do better. He said they came to the conclusion they weren’t fully embracing the “pro mindset” that the coaching staff wanted them to have. They shared their insights with the team. “You need to commit to giving your 100% effort,” he said to them. “That’s what this program deserves. And that’s what God deserves.”
McCrath said that the week after the St. Louis trip was when the team focused on turning things around. “We hit them pretty hard with some stuff that they weren’t taking responsibility for on the field,” he said. “And man, they did it. And so that was such a huge credit to those guys.”
The coaching staff was named the 2025 Joe Bean Coaching Staff of the Year. Krahel said that their tactical expertise and care for the players was instrumental to the team’s success. Vander Kolk appreciated how the coaches maintained a spiritual focus as well. “They’ve been great at just building us as players, but also as men of God,” he said. “We talk a lot about a culture of iron sharpening iron, and that comes through every single day.”
Krahel also credited the athletic training staff with helping them succeed, especially head athletic trainer Tricia Deter. Deter is the designated athletic trainer for the men’s soccer team, and Krahel said that she has meant so much to the team both on and off the field. “She’s also our mom away from home, in the way that she cares for us,” he said. “She cares so much about Wheaton soccer; she would do anything to see Wheaton soccer succeed.”
In February, former Wheaton College soccer coach Joe Bean passed away at the age of 85. Bean remains the third-winningest coach in NCAA soccer history, and Wheaton’s soccer stadium is named in his honor. Vander Kolk said that the team was inspired to defend Bean’s namesake stadium as they heard all of the great stories about Bean and his faith. “We truly took it to heart and said, ‘How do we defend this place like it’s a fortress?’ And it affected our coach a good amount and a lot of us as players saw that and we knew we had to respond,” he said.
The team secured the top seed in the CCIW Tournament along with the right to host a semifinal match at Joe Bean Stadium for the fourth year in a row. However, the team’s tournament hopes came to an end last Wednesday, Nov. 5, when they fell 2-1 to No. 4-seeded North Park University. They also failed to secure an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.
Krahel said that the team was disappointed with the loss, and it was particularly hard for him and the 10 other graduating seniors. “I think this loss stings more than others just because of the potential that we had this season, and to get it taken away from us a few weeks early just hurts,” he said.
Ultimately, the team hopes to continue Wheaton’s legacy in the sport of soccer. “We’re creating a new form of legacy, because this is a legacy program,” said McCrath. “It had its rough patch and it’s hard work to correct from that. And these guys are doing it.”
