Wheaton, Ill. -- It required some hard work and it was never guaranteed, but the Wheaton women's soccer team earned a 1-1 draw against a tough Ohio Northern outfit at Joe Bean Stadium on Saturday night, and the result is surely one that the home side will be pleased with. The final match of the 2022 Bob Baptista Invitational saw the Thunder play host to a team they have never hosted before and a squad that has yet to taste defeat this season. Despite settling for a 0-0 draw in yesterday's contest against Pacific Lutheran, Ohio Northern were the superior side and easily could have claimed the win, so Wheaton knew they would be in for a battle in tonight's game. Despite falling a goal behind in the second half, however, the Thunder did not accept defeat and quickly found an equalizer through an excellent team goal to end the weekend on a positive note. Thanks to that late strike, Wheaton's record in the young season now sits at 1-1-1 after the conclusion of this year's invitational.  

The full match stats skew heavily in favor of the visiting Polar Bears, and this was reflected in the balance of play throughout the 90 minutes. Ohio Northern posted 24 shots, eight of which were on target, to Wheaton's six efforts and four shots on frame. Seven saves were required from Lauren Ketchum, who was superb in the Wheaton net tonight, while ONU's keeper only had to tally three. The corner kick count was more evenly distributed, with the hosts earning five and Ohio Northern collecting six. The two sides combined for 16 fouls and one yellow card each. The night belonged to Tori Seeland offensively for Wheaton, as the senior led the team with two shots on target and scored their lone goal. Morgan Beamer and Grace Hermanson registered the other two shots on frame this evening, and Katherine Ashley earned her first assist of the year with a beautifully placed cross into the box for Seeland to get on the end of. Even without keeping a clean sheet, Ketchum was the most valuable performer for the Thunder on Saturday, as the fifth-year goalkeeper stood on her head multiple times in rescuing the Wheaton defense and had no fault attached to Ohio Northern's goal.

The Polar Bears made a strong impression from the very beginning of tonight's contest, registering two shots on goal in the opening four minutes. The home side needed some time to get their bearings in the match, and Wheaton's first attempt at goal did not arrive until 20 minutes into the half. From that point on, the sides traded corner kicks and forays forward, but two more efforts on frame from Ohio Northern in the closing minutes of the first 45 punctuated a period of play in which the visitors looked the likelier of the two teams to break the deadlock. The second half began in similarly fast-paced fashion, as both sides registered a shot on target in the first two minutes after the restart. The middle portion of the second period unfolded almost exactly as the first half did, with Ohio Northern creating the majority of the chances and forcing Wheaton to commit more numbers back in defense but the Thunder still fashioning the occasional opportunity on the counter. Then just as the game began to descend into a scoreless draw, the Polar Bears' pressure finally paid off. With seventeen minutes left to play, the visitors won a corner kick and on the same offensive series, a looping ball was put into the box. While Lauren Ketchum did well to punch it out of the immediate danger zone in front of Wheaton's goal, an Ohio Northern defender ran onto the bouncing ball and quickly planted it into the upper left corner of the Wheaton net with a sharp, first-time finish. The go-ahead goal for the guests arriving in the final stage of the game combined with the overall balance of play suggested that Wheaton may have been heading for their first defeat at home in 2022. But the Thunder responded quickly and bravely, bursting forward with the ball and earning the equalizing goal less than two minutes later. Katherine Ashley collected possession around the midfield line on the right wing, beat her Polar Bear defender on the dribble, then fired in a cross from outside the box that was begging to be pushed goalwards by an on-rushing Wheaton attacker. Tori Seeland was the Thunder player who obliged, laying out near the top of the box to plant her head on the ball with strong force and diverting it past the unsuspecting ONU goalkeeper. The crowd of over 300 people inside Joe Bean Stadium exploded into celebrations, both at the quality of the goal they had just seen and the significance of the effort. Wheaton immediately got back on level terms against the run of play, and this time the team were determined to see it through without conceding. Both sides earned one more shot on target in the final five minutes, but the two goals provided the game's ultimate scoreline, and each team was left to reflect on an unbeaten weekend.

After tonight's positive result, Wheaton have three days to recover before they are back in action at Joe Bean Stadium again. This time, it's the Maroons of the University of Chicago who are coming to town and kickoff is set for 7 PM on Wednesday.