Chicago, Ill. -- After a topsy-turvy campaign that saw the Wheaton women's soccer team shake off a slow start and battle through multiple long-term injuries to key players to win the CCIW's regular season and tournament titles, the 2021 season finally came to a close on Saturday afternoon, as the Thunder fell 2-0 to University of Chicago on the road. This defeat in the regional final of the NCAA Tournament sees Wheaton end their season with a record of 11-8-3, two trophies, and no shortage of memories along the way.

The Thunder were considerable underdogs coming into today's matchup. Facing off against the #16 team in the country on their home field with a short-handed squad was never going to be easy. Not to mention, the Maroons had already defeated Wheaton 4-0 in Chicago earlier this season. But riding the high of yesterday's dramatic penalty shootout victory over Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the Wheaton team relished the chance to once again play spoiler against a strong opponent.

Unfortunately for the visitors, the match started almost exactly the same way as Friday's, with Wheaton falling behind early via a scrappy goal. Eight and a half minutes in, the Maroons won the first corner kick of the match, and Adriana Shutler whipped a dangerous ball into the box. Wheaton goalkeeper Lauren Ketchum got a glove to it in an attempt to punch the ball away to safety, but after bouncing around in the six yard box, the ball finally fell right at the feet of UChicago's Stella El-Fishawy, who was all to happy to poke it home. Once again, the Thunder found themselves needing to come from behind in order to extend their season by one more week. But this time, their opponents were not about to help Wheaton slice into their lead.

In the subsequent passages of play following the opening goal, Chicago picked up two more shots on target that Ketchum was forced to save, and it looked like the game might be getting away from the guests already. Just under 20 minutes into the first half, the Maroons doubled their lead before Wheaton even had a shot attempt to their name. El-Fishawy was once again at the heart of the action for the hosts, but this time she turned supplier, as some excellent individual dribbling allowed her to slip an inviting pass across Wheaton's goal from the side of the box. Josie Majowka managed to arrive on the scene just before her defensive marker and steered the ball into the back of the net. Before the Thunder were able to establish a foothold in the contest, they were suddenly faced with the realization that another two-goal comeback would be necessary to stay alive in the tournament.

The visiting side were surely frustrated with this early hole, but they did well to recover in the remaining portion of the first half. Defensively, the Wheaton back line limited UChicago to only one more attempt on goal, and the Maroons never looked likely to triple their lead. Wheaton only managed one official shot attempt in the opening 45 minutes, an effort from Carlye Fatum, but the Thunder went into the locker room looking the team more likely to score the next goal after multiple sequences of improved attacking play. The first half finished 2-0, and the home side were seemingly happy to protect the early advantage they had established.

Unsurprisingly, the Thunder began the second half as the more determined side going forward. Audrey Sexson and Izzy McNally earned the first two shots of the period, and Chicago did not have a single attempt on Wheaton's goal in the first twenty minutes. As the second half progressed, space began to appear all over the pitch as Wheaton sacrificed defensive bodies for more attacking output. This naturally led to more shot attempts and opportunities to score for both teams. Sophie Lindquist came the closest to finding the opening goal for Wheaton with an effort that was saved by Chicago's Miranda Malone. Fatum and Sexson put their names on the shot chart again down the stretch, but the ball was unkind to Wheaton on this occasion, and the all-important goal to help spark the comeback never arrived. To Wheaton's credit, however, they largely tamed the Maroons' attack in the second half, and the home side were not able to register the dominant scoreline that they posted in the first meeting between these programs this season. The contest finished with the Stagg Field scoreboard showing the same numbers as it did in the first half, and while the UChicago team was able to celebrate progression to the next round of the tournament, the Thunder players saw their season come to an end.

Despite today's disappointment, the 2021 campaign can largely be remembered as a successful one for the Wheaton women's soccer team. The squad managed to win the conference double for the first time since 2017, and Friday's come-from-behind victory over Oshkosh thanks to a penalty shootout serves as a fitting takeaway from a truly unique and unpredictable season.