Holland, Mich. -- The Wheaton women's soccer team suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Hope Flying Dutch in their opening match of the 2022 season. A nonconference road trip against a strong opponent was not the easiest start for new Thunder head coach Patrick Gilliam (pictured below) in his first official match in charge, but the squad will gain valuable lessons from facing off against a quality team this early in the campaign.













The match began in the worst possible way for the visitors when Hope's Emma Dutmers scored the opening goal less than two minutes after kick off. The Flying Dutch's attacker collected a well-weighted through ball outside the top of Wheaton's box and calmly chipped her shot over the defenders and goalkeeper and just underneath the crossbar to give the home side the lead. The Thunder responded positively to this early blow, as Mia Blair and Sophie Lindquist each had a shot blocked and Wheaton earned the first corner kick of the match. But Hope's back line was able to limit their guests' attacking play without too much trouble throughout the first half, and Wheaton failed to find an equalizer before the home side doubled their lead in the 23^rd minute.

Once again, Dutmers picked up the ball just outside of Wheaton's penalty area, and after her initial effort at goal ricocheted fortuitously back into her path, the attacker placed an excellently curled finish into the far right side of the net. A brace from Dutmers left Wheaton with an early hole to climb out of, and Hope's play showed their determination to start their home slate off with a positive result. Wheaton's best chance to pull a goal back came six minutes later when Tori Seeland saw her powerful shot come off the crossbar and the following rebound was put just wide.

The second half saw the Thunder grow in confidence on the ball, but the hosts did not allow their opponents to create many chances to get back in the game. Wheaton managed two more shots in the final seconds of the match in the hopes of at least denying the Flying Dutch a clean sheet, but the goal did not arrive and the Thunder had to settle for the 2-0 decision.

While the total number of shots attempted was almost an even split between the two sides, Hope put more of their efforts on frame, generating seven shots on target to Wheaton's three. The Thunder edged the corner kick count, five to four, as well as possession of the ball at a 54-46% split. Both teams committed ten fouls and received one yellow card caution. Lauren Ketchum made five saves in the Wheaton net, while Hope's goalkeeper recorded three of her own. Mia Blair had the most productive attacking numbers of any Wheaton player, firing off four attempts and generating a team-high two shots on frame.

Wheaton will have the chance to pick up their first win of the season when they return home next weekend for the 2022 Bob Baptista Invitational. The Thunder are scheduled to host John Carroll University next Friday at 7:00 PM and Ohio Northern University the following evening. Each match of the tournament will be live streamed on the Wheaton Athletics YouTube page and live stats will also be available.