Wheaton, Ill. -- The Thunder men's soccer team reignited their hopes of qualifying for the CCIW conference tournament by defeating Elmhurst 1-0 on Senior Day at Joe Bean Stadium. The victory improves Wheaton to 3-2-1 in conference play, and they now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bluejays, which could prove pivotal down the stretch.

The 11 seniors on Wheaton's roster were recognized along with their families before the match, so it was only fitting that two seniors should help decide the game in Wheaton's favor. AJ Moyes's 12th minute wonder-goal and six saves from goalkeeper Hasten Biddlecome would ultimately see Wheaton over the line in a must-win match to keep their postseason aspirations alive.

The home side got the action underway with a couple of shots inside the first three minutes, and Elmhurst won a corner kick shortly after, but the opening goal for Wheaton was the first significant chance for either side, and it came out of nowhere. Alessandro D'Argento had the ball at his feet in a harmless position near the sideline, and the midfielder spotted Moyes in a wide open area almost 20 yards outside of the Bluejays' box. The senior right back took a touch off his chest to control the pass and decided to try his luck from distance. The ball looped up and over the diving Elmhurst goalkeeper into the top right corner, and the sizable home crowd got off their seats in a combination of excitement and surprise at what they had just seen. With his third goal of the campaign, Moyes gave Wheaton the breakthrough they were looking for on home turf. The rest of the match would simply be a case of maintaining this advantage. 

The Thunder ensured that their visitors would not have an instant response with some determined offensive pressure. The team racked up six efforts at goal in the following minutes, including strikes on target from Michael Groza, D'Argento, and Moyes. The second half of the opening 45 minutes would prove to be more difficult defensively for Wheaton, however, with the Bluejays registering four shots on goal in an attempt to level the score before the break. Biddlecome was up to the task, and the Thunder managed to see out the first half with their one-goal lead intact. 

The second half was a more scrappy and evenly balanced affair, with both teams trading fouls and shots in quick succession over the course of the period. There were decidedly few clear-cut scoring opportunities down the stretch as the Wheaton players were happy to slow the game down in the closing minutes and prevent Elmhurst from spoiling the party. Silas Galvao and D'Argento each had an attempt on goal with about 30 minutes remaining, but apart from this flurry, defending was the name of the game for the home team in the second half. Elmhurst's best chance to equalize in the second 45 came at the 80 minute mark when a Bluejays player received the ball on a breakaway and looked set to tie the match at one goal apiece. But Biddlecome rushed off his line to close the angle, the ball bounced up off of the turf, and the shot was blazed over the Wheaton net. Apart from this momentary scare, the Thunder back line held firm down the stretch and ensured that Wheaton were able to see out the win on a special occasion at home.

The full match statistics reflected the even nature of the contest, with the two teams each having six shots on target. Wheaton held the slim advantage in total shots, 15-12, while Elmhurst had four corner kicks to Wheaton's two. The Thunder's biggest advantage came in the form of possession, with the home side earning a 61% mark across the 90 minutes.

The men's team closes out the regular season next week with consecutive road trips at North Central and Millikin. Wheaton will be looking for at least one more win to solidify their spot in the top four of the conference standings come the end of the campaign.