GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Jordan Golz and Adam Blackman each had a goal and an assist in Friday night's 3-0 victory over North Central.
Wheaton, Ill.- The eighth-ranked Wheaton men's soccer team continued their latest trend of strong second half play on Friday night in scoring a trio of goals to defeat North Central 3-0. Wheaton closed a five-game home stand by electrifying the announced crowd of 1,436 at Joe Bean Stadium and moving to 2-0 in the CCIW and 8-3 overall. North Central fell to 4-4-3 overall and 0-2 in the CCIW.
North Central dominated the opening minutes of play, bombarding the Thunder with a quick succession of shots to take the early momentum. Wheaton was able to endure the early push by the Cardinals and steadily won the field back and opened up the field. Despite 22 combined first half shots, neither team was able to convert a goal and the game remained scoreless at halftime.
Using some advantageous halftime adjustments, Wheaton owned the field and ran off three quick shots in the opening minutes before finally cashing in on their fourth attempt of the half. Late in the 49th minutes,
Noah Anthony played a through ball down the left side to
Josh Clark who sent a centering pass to the middle of the box. That pass found
Elliot Borge (PICTURED RIGHT) whose right-footed volley found the back of the net past a diving Kyle DeRaedt and gave the hosts a 1-0 advantage. DeRaedt kept the Cardinals in the game for much of the match with 12 saves but allowed three goals in the process.
Wheaton continued their possession advantage throughout the second half but it wasn't until late in the half that the Thunder were able to expand their lead. In the 85th minute,
Jordan Golz broke free down the right side and played the ball into the right side of the box for
Adam Blackman. Blackman was able to quickly possess and rifled a shot into the net for a 2-0 lead at the 84:25 mark.
That margin lasted just 72 seconds before a beautiful sequence put Wheaton up 3-0. Blackman started the sequence with a stretching pass into the left corner for
Marshall Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth one-timed a pass to the top of the six-yard box where
Jordan Golz rose with a flying right foot volley that found the top shelf of the net for the game's final tally. Wheaton owned a 16-5 shot advantage in the second half and a 31-12 advantage in the match.
Wheaton will step out of conference play on Tuesday when they travel to Aurora University for a 2 PM clash.
