Stevens Point, Wis. – The Wheaton women's soccer team traveled north on Tuesday afternoon seeking their second win of the season, but they were denied by the Pointers of UW-Stevens Point who topped the Thunder, 3-2, in Wisconsin. Two first half goals in a four-minute stretch gave the hosts a cushion heading into the break, and despite winning the second half 2-1, Wheaton fell just short of a successful comeback. Audrey Sexson and Mia Blair each scored late consolation goals for the Thunder, but Stevens-Point managed to hold off their visitors for just long enough to squeak out the win. With their non-conference schedule now behind them, the Thunder's record is 1-5-2 halfway through the regular season.

Wheaton began the match by committing numbers forward in attack, and the visitors registered two of the first three shots of the contest. Tori Seeland was the first player to test either goalkeeper, as the senior forced a save in the 12^th minute of play. Back-to-back attempts on target then underlined Stevens Point's attacking strategy as the balance of play began to flip. The Pointers successfully limited the Thunder's chance creation in the remainder of the first half, with Seeland managing the only other shot on frame for Wheaton. The deadlock was broken in the 23^rd minute when UWSP's Cass Klitzke curled in a superb strike from the top of the box. Four minutes later, the same player doubled her tally by pouncing on a loose ball right in front of the Wheaton goal.

The Pointers took a 2-0 advantage into the locker room, and any hopes of a Wheaton comeback were seemingly snuffed out at the start of the second half when their hosts added a third goal. 30 seconds after the restart, the Pointers whipped the ball in from the front corner of the Wheaton box, and despite it not reaching the back of the net, the linesman ruled that the cross-come-shot had fully crossed the line and the goal was given. At the time, it appeared as though this goal would not matter significantly in the ultimate outcome of the match, but it eventually proved to be the winning score as the remainder of the contest was dominated by Wheaton. The Pointers only posted one more shot on target after extending their lead to three, and the Thunder turned the contest around by going on the front foot. It took nine attempts after Stevens Point's third goal before the guests finally broke through the UWSP defense, but Myah Schoolman's excellent cross to the back post was controlled deftly by Mia Blair, who took a touch around her on-rushing defender and steered the ball into the back of the net to give Wheaton a fighting chance. Two corner kicks for the away side followed, and Audrey Sexson nearly made it 3-2 but saw her close-range attempt blocked off the line by a Pointers defender. As the clock approached seven minutes left to play, a ball into the box was blocked by a UWSP arm, and Wheaton were awarded a penalty kick. Just as she did in Wheaton's last high-scoring rollercoaster against a WIAC opponent, Sexson stepped up to take it. The junior hit the target, and suddenly the home side were in danger of blowing a second half, three-goal lead. Sexson registered one more shot on target in the 85th minute, and the Thunder won another corner kick amidst a late attacking flurry, but the decisive third goal did not arrive, and Stevens Point breathed a sigh of relief as they held on for the narrow win.  

Wheaton registered an impressive 21 shots over the course of the 90 minutes, and each side put seven efforts on frame. The Thunder prevented their hosts from earning any corner kicks while taking eight of their own. Lauren Ketchum made four saves in the Thunder goal, while her Pointers counterpart tallied five. 26 fouls were called in today's match, and Stevens Point picked up a late yellow card.

Sexson led the Thunder attacking output today with three shots on target including her penalty kick goal. Tori Seeland earned two attempts on frame, while Mia Blair and Rebekah Max contributed one apiece.
 
While today's result is not the note that the Thunder would have been hoping to end their non-conference run on, the team can gain encouragement both from their late fightback and the fact that the main prize is still up for grabs. Wheaton is set to begin their quest to defend their conference title at Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon.