PICTURED ABOVE: Goalkeeper Abbey Fuster tallied her third shutout of the season on Wednesday night at UW-Eau Claire.
Eau Claire, Wis. – The Wheaton women's soccer team earned its third consecutive victory on Wednesday afternoon as the Thunder picked up a 1-0 victory at UW-Eau Claire (3-6-3).
The Thunder pressured the UW-Eau Claire defense early in the match and attacked the Blugolds regularly as Wheaton out-shot the hosts 6-0 in the first 10 minutes of the match, including three shots on goal. Had a few shot opportunities over a span of about 13 minutes, but the contest remained scoreless with both defenses holding strong.
Wheaton's
Ally Witt had two shot attempts in the final five minutes of the first half. Witt's second shot was saved by UW-Eau Claire goalkeeper Emily Byal, but Wheaton freshman
Anne Jekel gathered the ball and put it into the back of the net 43:40 into the match for her first collegiate goal with an assist from Witt.
Jekel's goal allowed Wheaton to hold a 1-0 lead at halftime. The Thunder out-shot the Blugolds 10-3 in the match and the guess had a 6-1 edge in shots on goal.
The second half was evenly contested as both Byal and Wheaton goalkeeper
Abbey Fuster kept the opponent from scoring. Wheaton held a 7-6 advantage in shots in the second half as the Thunder had three shots on goal in the half and UW-Eau Claire attempted two.
Fuster registered her third shutout of the season. The sophomore made three saves in 90 minutes of work in the Wheaton net. Byal stopped eight Wheaton shots on goal and allowed just the first-half goal into the net.
Wheaton owned a 17-9 advantage in shots during the match and the Thunder held a 9-3 edge in shots on goal. Wheaton was awarded nine corner kicks in the match and the Blugolds had one corner kick.
Wheaton, ranked 18
th in this week's
NSCAA Division III Coaches Poll, is now 9-3-0 on the year. The Thunder will host Millikin University in a conference contest on Friday night at 4:30 p.m. as part of Wheaton's Homecoming activities.
