Box score
Bloomington, Ill. -- In a repeat of their last matchup, Illinois Wesleyan once again played stingy, stifling defense to prevent the high-powered Wheaton offense from getting good looks.
The Titans won the last meeting 2-1 on Oct. 25 at Wheaton, and the tactic worked for the first 58 minutes of Saturday's game. Right up until
Taryne Lee booted in an unassisted strike and Wheaton held on for the 1-0 victory in the CCIW Tournament Finals.
With the win, the
No. 22-ranked Thunder get an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament. NCAA pairings will be announced at 11:00 AM on Monday at
ncaasports.com.
Wheaton head coach
Pete Felske said the wind was a big factor in the match, and they put IWU on their heels early and kept up the pressure throughout.
The Thunder was actually going against the wind in the second half. But at the 58:10 mark, Lee started dribbling the ball from one side of the box to the other 25 yards out. She then blasted a shot to the far post that found the back of the net to grab the 1-0 lead.
"She's such an athlete with a competitive spirit," Felske said. "She touches the ball a lot, so all she has to do is score once or twice out of all those touches. That's what makes her so dangerous. You have to keep track of her at all times."
Lee's 27th goal of the season ties her single-season school record that she set last year. She also tied her single-season points record (63), which she also set in 2007.
That was all the offense Wheaton needed to secure the win. The Thunder held a 12-2 shot advantage in the game, as eight of Wheaton's shots were on goal. Lee took six of those shots, including four on goal.
Ingrid Erickson picked up the shutout victory in goal while making one save.
Alli Novak took the loss while making seven saves.
Now Felske and his team can focus on defending their two-consecutive national titles.
"Based on the other results I've heard, I like the situation we're in right now," Felske said. "This is a whole new season that starts now. We'll just focus on the next game, because we never want to look too far ahead."
