GAME STATS PICTURED ABOVE: Miseker Wingate's first half goal proved to be the game-winner in Wednesday night's 3-0 victory over Knox College.
Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton men's soccer team returned home on Wednesday night for the first of a four-match home stand and kicked it off with a dominant 3-0 shutout win over Knox College. Wheaton took its first lead just minutes before the halftime break and tacked on two goals in just over a minute in the second half to come away with their second shutout of the season. The win snaps a three-game skid for the Thunder as Wheaton improves to 2-3 on the young season. Knox had its modest four-game win streak snapped and fell to 4-2-1 overall. Wheaton will return to action on Saturday for a 1:30 pm matinee kickoff against Luther College.
Hasten Biddlecome earned his second career shutout, making two saves and an additional diving stop off a deflected clearance. Justin Dunn took the loss in net for the Prairie Fire, making three saves and allowing two goals in 66:50 of net time. Andrew Hind made two saves and allowed two goals in the first 23:10 of the second half. Wheaton held the edge in shots with a 13-10 advantage including an 8-3 edge in shots on goal.
Wheaton threatened to opening the scoring book in the first minute of play, earning a corner kick off the kickoff just 23 seconds into the match. Off the corner, Ayo Agunbiade skied above the crowd for a header that rattled the crossbar and bounced free to
Max Carey whose follow-up shot sailed high.
Will Woodfin tested Dunn again in the ninth minute but Dunn was up to the challenge with a diving save. Wheaton's goal would come in the 42nd minute when
Miseker Wingate tracked down a long lead pass down the left sideline and beat a pair of defenders into the box. From around 10 yards off the end line, Wingate blasted a low right-footed effort that had too much pace for Dunn and split the keeper's legs and found the net to make it 1-0.
A 73-second stretch of play in the second half would be all Wheaton would need to triple their lead.
Elliot Paul was able to work his way onto the receiving end of an
Andrew Wade corner kick to head home his first goal of the season at the 67:03 mark to push the lead to 2-0. On Wheaton's next attacking opportunity,
Drew Shay stretched the Prairie Fire defense out to the right of the box and found a running
AJ Moyes in the box who one-timed the ball into the net at the 68:16 mark to make it 3-0.
Knox appeared destined to find the scoreboard in the 78th minute when Jun Min was able to find room past Biddlecome for a chip that bounced once but was kept out of the night by a high-flying clearance off the right foot of Wade to preserve the shutout.
Wheaton will return to Joe Bean Stadium on Saturday afternoon for a 1:30 pm kickoff against Luther College.
