Waukesha, Wis. – In a wild Wednesday night match that saw fingernails chewed all the way down, the Wheaton men's soccer team used every available second to outlast the Carroll Pioneers, 5-4, and pick up a crucial road win. Alessandro D'Argento buried a last-minute penalty kick to give Wheaton the final edge and maintain the Thunder's unbeaten track record against the Pioneers. Wheaton's conference record now sits at 2-1-1 thanks to tonight's victory, and while the ultimate impact of this result is yet to be determined, the 90 minutes of play in Wisconsin is unlikely to be forgotten any time soon.

Carroll put 13 of their 16 attempts on target in a clinical offensive display, while Wheaton enjoyed greater volume with 19 total shots and ten efforts on frame. The Thunder forced five saves from the opposing goalkeeper, while Wheaton's Jack Krahel made eight of his own. The Pioneers held the advantage in corner kicks tonight, 5-2.

Pryse Anderson, Michael Martens, and Brock Seneff each tallied a goal and an assist in a perfect example of team symmetry. Kyle Johnson scored once and Victor Choi, Jack Jacquet, and Grant Roney were all credited with an assist in tonight's win. D'Argento and Harrison Lee led the Thunder with three shots on goal each, including the former's decisive late score.

The match got off to a rocky start for the visitors, as Carroll took the lead just seven minutes into the first half. But Wheaton did not need long to respond, with Jack Jacquet linking up with Victor Choi in the midfield and Choi playing an excellent slide-rule pass in between the Pioneer back line for Pryse Anderson to run onto and slot home. The two teams then traded shots on target as the attacking nature of the match became more and more obvious to see. The Thunder earned their first lead just shy of the 20-minute mark as a sumptuous team move resulted in Michael Martens laying the ball off to the overlapping Brock Seneff, who buried the chance like a seasoned striker to put Wheaton in front.

Thirteen minutes later, Seneff turned creator as the sophomore lofted a fabulous cross from the left wing to the back post of Carroll's goal, and Kyle Johnson headed home to double Wheaton's advantage. It all seemed like smooth sailing for the Illinois side, but Carroll refused to lie down on home turf, and the hosts came back to tie the match before the halftime whistle blew. Two scores in the space of three minutes, the first of which came from the penalty spot, saw the Pioneers level it up at 3-3 just before halftime, and it looked as though Wheaton's chance at victory may have slipped through their grasp.

After a busy but scoreless opening 20 minutes of the second half, Wheaton's night went from bad to worse as their opponents completed the comeback and snatched a 4-3 lead. Amazingly however, the Thunder were back on level terms within a minute. Pryse Anderson found Michael Martens in the attacking third, and the fifth-year veteran stuck the ball in the back of the Carroll net for the eighth goal of the contest. The next 20 minute passage saw no shortage of chances for either side, but it began to feel like the match was destined to end in a draw after both teams earned then surrendered the lead. But there remained one final twist in the tale.

With just 30 seconds left to play in the match, Carroll's goalkeeper came charging off his line in an attempt to punch away a bouncing ball in the box and ended up clattering into an opposition attacker. The referee wasted little time in pointing to the spot, and out of nowhere, Wheaton were gifted with an opportunity to snatch a dramatic late win on the road. Alessandro D'Argento had not yet found the back of the net in the match, but he did not less this affect his confidence as a penalty specialist, and the junior calmly tucked the ball away to the keeper's right side to secure a famous last-minute win for Wheaton.

As satisfying as tonight's result undoubtedly was for the team, the Thunder men have just two days to physically and mentally recover from Wednesday's rollercoaster epic. Wheaton returns home to face Carthage in their Senior Night matchup on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 PM at Joe Bean Stadium.