Tacoma, Wash. - The Thunder men's soccer team opened up its weekend trip to the Pacific Northwest on Friday night with a 2-1 loss to the University of Puget Sound on Friday night. The loss drops Wheaton to 1-2 on the season while the Loggers picked up their first victory to improve to 1-1 on the young campaign. Wheaton will conclude its trip on Saturday night with a game at Pacific Lutheran University.

Friday's match played out as a defensive slugfest with just 11 total shots being registered. Puget Sound capitalized on their five opportunities, putting four shots on goal and converting on two. Wheaton recorded six shots but put just three on goal and scored one. Wheaton's Hasten Biddlecome and Puget Sound's Wren Norwood each made two saves in goal.

The scoring unfolded similar to last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Loras with Wheaton's opponent scoring early in both matches and adding a second goal midway through the second half before the Thunder tallied a late goal. Ezra Kraus scored both goals for the Loggers, delivering a lead for UPS in the ninth minute with a cracker of a shot from near the top of the 18-yard box. The second goal by Kraus was less dramatic, coming in the 66th minute when he stole the ball from the Thunder defense and finished the tap-in goal to put Puget Sound ahead 2-0.

As they did late against Loras, Wheaton rallied, denting the scoreboard in the 89th minute on the first goal of the season by Kolby Versage. Wheaton had one last shot to tie the game with 40 seconds left on a shot by Ayo Agunbiade but Norwood was up to the task for the Loggers, keeping Wheaton out of the net and out of the win column.

Wheaton will wrap-up its Washington trip on Saturday night with a 6 pm (PDT) kickoff at Pacific Lutheran.