Wheaton, Ill. -- The Wheaton men's soccer team opened their home conference slate on Wednesday night looking to build on their win at Illinois Wesleyan last Saturday, but the North Central Cardinals walked away 3-1 winners after a competitive match between the neighboring sides. A fluke own goal gave the visitors an early lead, and the Cardinals extended their advantage to three before a precise strike from Pryse Anderson helped Wheaton avoid the shutout. The Thunder's record now sits at 4-4-2 on the year and 1-1 in CCIW play.

North Central attempted seven more shots than their hosts in tonight's contest but only put one more on frame. Both team's goalkeepers registered two saves, and Wheaton earned two more corner kicks than their guests. A total of 31 fouls were whistled in the 90 minutes of play, and three yellow cards were brandished by the head official in a physical affair. Brock Seneff posted two shot attempts this evening, the most of any Thunder player, and the reigning CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week steered one of his shots on frame. Alessandro D'Argento and the goalscorer Pryse Anderson accounted for Wheaton's other two shots on target in tonight's matchup.

Wheaton created two corner kick opportunities in the opening ten minutes of the contest, but North Central tallied the first attempt on goal with a shot that was calmly saved by Jack Krahel. The scoring was opened twenty minutes into the first half in bizarre fashion, as North Central took the lead thanks to a Wheaton own goal that was initially cleared off the line but deflected straight back into the net. Despite this frustrating setback, the Thunder responded well and D'Argento put the home side's first shot on target within a minute of the restart. But the Cardinals did not need long to double their lead, and this one was scored in a more legitimate way as a clinical team move was finished off with a diving header that snuck inside the near post. North Central ended the opening half in a strong position, preventing their hosts from registering another shot attempt and remaining two goals to the good.

After beginning the second period in convincing fashion, North Central confirmed their eventual victory with a smart finish from the top of the box just past the 60 minute mark. Wheaton knew they faced a mammoth task from this point on, but Pryse Anderson got a goal back for the home side with a brilliant solo effort after weaving through a pair of Cardinal defenders and planting his strike from the right corner of the box into the upper 90 of the North Central net. In doing so, he became the 12th different Thunder player to score this season. While Wheaton only had a couple of chances to further cut into the deficit and the team will be disappointed with the eventual result against a strong opponent, Anderson's quality goal and the back-and-forth nature of the match offer a boost for the squad moving forward.

Wheaton don't have to wait long for another chance to pick up a home conference win. The Thunder are back at Joe Bean Stadium on Saturday night to take on Elmhurst in Wheaton's Homecoming game.