Decatur, Ill. -- It was not easy, but they got there in the end. The Wheaton women's soccer team clinched a share of their fifth consecutive CCIW regular season title with a key 2-0 road victory against Millikin on Saturday. With the win, the Thunder improved to 7-1-0 in conference play and earned hosting rights for next week's conference tournament based on their head-to-head tiebreaker over Illinois Wesleyan.

After Wednesday's home defeat at the hands of North Central, the Wheaton team knew that there was no room for error on Saturday if they hoped to retain their conference crown. They responded to the setback with a professional victory, and first half goals from Jensen Ellis and Sophie Lindquist were enough to get the job done for the visitors.

The Big Blue started the encounter on the front foot, earning a corner kick and registering two shots on target in the early minutes of Saturday's match. It took the Thunder nearly twenty minutes to pick up their first attempt at goal, and this slow start may have led to some nerves on the visiting bench as the team looked to right the ship after Wednesday's loss. Fortunately for the traveling side, they found their groove around the 25 minute mark of the first half when they won a corner kick and posted their first shot on frame through Carlye Fatum. And just five minutes later, the junior midfielder was involved in the action again as she found senior teammate Jensen Ellis in the box, who duly slotted home from three yards out to open the scoring. 

Millikin barely had time to recover, as Audrey Sexson fired off another shot attempt just ten seconds after the restart. Less than six minutes after breaking the tie, Wheaton had their second goal of the match. This time it was Katherine Ashley setting up Sophie Lindquist for her sixth goal of the season, and this strike allowed the Thunder to secure a firm grasp on proceedings. Their hosts struck the crossbar in the 23rd minute, but Millikin failed to register any more shot attempts in the first half after Wheaton scored. A shot on goal from Rebekah Max and another Sexson effort threatened to extend Wheaton's lead to three just before the halftime break, but the Big Blue held on to reach the interval at a 2-0 deficit.

The second 45 followed a similar pattern - the home team started the period with two shots on goal only to see their attack fizzle out as the half progressed. Millikin's last promising opportunity to score came just shy of the 88 minute mark when they once again struck the woodwork, but the ball stayed out of the Wheaton net, and it became increasingly clear that the Thunder would leave central Illinois with the victory. Wheaton looked threatening throughout the second half, with three different players producing shots on target, but the visitors were mostly content to protect their existing lead and avoid taking unnecessary risks. This season's championship win was earned on the back of some resolute defending by the Thunder, so it was only fitting that the all-important victory came through another conference clean sheet for the back line.

Full match stats reflected Wheaton's attacking prowess on the day, as the Thunder out-shot their opponents, 20-8. Nine of Wheaton's efforts were on target while Millikin had four of their own. The hosts had a slim advantage in corner kicks, 4-3. Lauren Ketchum made four saves in the Wheaton goal, as she earned her fourth clean sheet in conference play this season. Millikin edged Wheaton on possession of the ball across the 90 minutes, 54-46%. 17 fouls were called in the match, but no cards were shown by the referee.

Wheaton faces a short wait to learn who their semifinal opponent will be in Wednesday's match at Joe Bean Stadium. But the team will be thrilled to have ended the regular season on the best possible note, having secured another conference title for the storied program.