Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton women's soccer team hosted longtime rival Washington University on Friday evening at Joe Bean Stadium. The two squads played to a 0-0 draw in regulation as the Wheaton defense played in a strong effort.
WashU out-shot the Thunder 14-6 in the match, as the Bears had six shots on goal. Thunder goalkeeper
Lauren Ketchum made six saves tonight, often spectacular, to maintain the shutout. Wheaton had two shots on goal as WashU netminder Sidney Conner made two saves late in the match to maintain the shutout for her team. WashU attempted seven corner kicks in the match and Wheaton was awarded three.
Wheaton had a slight possession advantage in the first half, however, the Bears out-shot the hosts 7-1. WashU had four shots on goal in the first 45 minutes with none for the Thunder. Ketchum made four saves in the first half to keep Wheaton's shutout hopes alive.
The Bears had seven shots again the second half, however, the Thunder defense allowed just two shots on goal in the final period. Ketchum made a key save less than five minutes into the second half as she stopped a shot by Maggie Brett of WashU. Ketchum save was a stop of Brett's shot from the left side of the goal box to maintain the shutout.
Ketchum's final save of the night was a direct shot by Brett that she Ketchum got in front of and stopped with a little more than six minutes left in regulation.
The two teams continued to trade opportunities in the closing minutes. With a little more than five minutes left in the match, Wheaton recovered the ball off a WashU free kick and quickly moved down the pitch. A long pass found Wheaton's
Sophie Lindquist who wound up for a shot at the top of the penalty box from the left side. Lindquist's blast was stopped by Conner in recording her second save of the evening as she prevented a great scoring opportunity for the hosts.
The Bears held a 7-5 advantage in shots in the second half, with each team attempting two shots on goal. Ketchum and Conner each made two saves in the final 45 minutes of action.
Wheaton begins a three-game road swing on Tuesday afternoon in a non-conference match at UW-Stevens Point. The match against the Pointers will start at 3:00 p.m.
