Decatur, Ill. -- The Wheaton men's soccer team enjoyed the women's team's performance so much that they decided to replicate it by also sealing an important 2-0 road victory at Millikin on Saturday. With the win, Wheaton secures fourth place in the conference standings and a bid in next week's CCIW tournament thanks to their head-to-head triumph over Elmhurst last weekend.

The Thunder entered the day knowing that the only acceptable result was victory if they wanted to earn a spot in the postseason competition, and the team played like they wanted that spot. Wheaton out-shot their hosts 22-9, including a nine to four advantage in shots on target. The Thunder forced seven saves out of the Millikin goalkeeper compared to four the other way around. They also had an eight to six edge in corner kicks and bossed possession at a 59-41% tilt. All of these factors made for a relatively straightforward day at the office for the visiting team.

Right from the first whistle, Wheaton made their attacking intent clear. Team leading scorer Silas Galvao earned the first shot on target of the day with a low, driving effort just two minutes into the match. And it only took two more for the Thunder to open the scoring. Galvao played the role of provider this time, setting up a close-range header for teammate Alessandro D'Argento to nod home. Determined to extend their advantage, Wheaton picked up six more shots before the Big Blue finally registered one of their own. After a number of off-target attempts from the guests, they finally made their offensive pressure count when they doubled up through an excellent long range goal again courtesy of D'Argento, his sixth strike of the campaign. Millikin's Ignacio Diaz managed two shots on target in the closing moments of the first half, but Hasten Biddlecome was equal to the task, and Wheaton preserved their two-goal lead heading into the halftime interval.

The opening minutes of the second period were dominated by the Thunder, with Joey Sopikiotis firing off two shots on target and D'Argento nearly completing his hat trick, as well as the team earning three corner kicks. The hosts responded with two shots and corner kicks of their own, but the Wheaton back line held firm. Down the stretch, both teams traded a handful of shots and attacking passages of play, but the match came to a relatively quiet conclusion in which it never seemed as though Wheaton's lead was in peril. After conceding nine goals in their previous four outings, Saturday's result was undoubtedly a breath of fresh air for the defensive players of Wheaton. 

After finishing the regular season on a high, the Thunder's attention will turn to Wednesday's conference semifinal against regular season champions North Park in Chicago, where the team will attempt to pull a famous upset and keep their road momentum going.