Box Score

Elmhurst, Ill. - Thanks in part to a clutch effort from goalkeeper Ryan Seager, the Wheaton College men's soccer team will make yet another return to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.

Wheaton tied Elmhurst College 2-2 in the CCIW Tournament championship game on Saturday night. The game finished as a tie, but the Thunder came away with the tourney title and an automatic qualifying spot with a 3-1 win in the shootout.

The No. 17-ranked Thunder ran their season record to 14-3-3. The No. 23-ranked Bluejays moved to 13-3-4 on the year.

The game was played on a chilly and clear night under the lights at Berens Park. Despite an 11-3 shot deficit in the first half, Elmhurst got on the board first at the 23:11 mark on a goal by Jon Brehm, who collected a loose ball off a corner kick and rifled a shot through a sea of bodies into the net.

The host Bluejays kept the 1-0 advantage into halftime, and the game became even more physical in the second half. A total of 46 fouls and five yellow cards were handed out in the game as each side fought for positioning and contested every ball.

After a foul was called in Elmhurst's box, Wheaton senior Matt Swartz netted his third penalty kick goal of the season at the 59:13 mark in the second half.

Ten minutes later, the Thunder struck again as Stephen Mesko made a long run up the left side on a transition counterattack and slotted a left-footed blast to the opposite corner to make the score 2-1.

But the Bluejays kept the pressure on and came through with tying score on a Matt Sterner header with less than eight minutes left in the game.

At that point, the contest looked to be headed to a PK shootout. Both teams battled through two scoreless overtimes, forcing penalty kicks to determine the CCIW Tournament Title and the automatic qualifier bid.

Seager rose to the occasion and showed superlative instincts in net as he blocked three of Elmhurst's four shots. Mesko, Paul Pesek and Damon Brown all scored on their shot attempts and the Wheaton contingent of fans charged the field following Seager's final save to clinch the shootout 3-1 in the best-of-five format.

"It's always fun when the best two teams finish in the final," Wheaton head coach Mike Giuliano said. "Both teams had their chances to win it. I loved my boys' composure, to be down at halftime and yet to stay with it. What can you say about my freshman goalkeeper in the shootout. He stops one, they call it back, he stops it again and then he stops two more. What can you say? That's just great."

Wheaton held a 25-14 shot advantage, while Elmhurst put more shots on goal (11-9). Seager made nine saves in net excluding the shootout.

The shootout win ensured Wheaton's 17th-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament, the longest active streak in Division III. The program has made 31 NCAA appearances since the Division III Men's Soccer Tournament began in 1974.

"We're hopeful that will be enough to get a chance to play at home the first weekend [of the playoffs]," Giuliano said. "All we know is, next weekend we'll still be playing soccer and that's the key."

The NCAA tournament field will be announced on Sunday night and a tournament bracket will be revealed on Monday morning by 10:00 AM. The field and bracket will be posted at www.ncaa.com.