Rock Island, Ill. -- The Thunder women's soccer team traveled west for the final leg of their four-match run of away games on Wednesday night, facing the Augustana College Vikings in a key CCIW contest. After a scoreless opening half, the suburban visitors scored three times in the second period to earn a 3-1 victory and end their regular season travels with a five-match unbeaten run in away fixtures. Tonight's win improves Wheaton's conference record to 4-1-1 and sees the Thunder replace the previously unbeaten Vikings in second place in the CCIW standings.

Augustana entered Wednesday's matchup having yet to taste defeat in conference play and boasting one of the best defensive records in the CCIW so far this season. But the Thunder pounced on their hosts right from the opening whistle, and Katherine Ashley's shot off of the crossbar in the seventh minute served as a warning sign to the Vikings' defense. Ashley and Grace Crowder each drew saves from Augie's goalkeeper in the following minutes, as the guests looked to snatch an early lead like they did in Saturday's victory at Carthage College. The home side's back line bent throughout the first half but refused to break, and despite racking up ten attempts at goal before the intermission, Wheaton were forced to settle for a 0-0 scoreline at halftime. Augustana only managed one shot on target in the first half, as the Thunder saw more of the ball and did not allow their hosts to enjoy significant time around their penalty area.

The visitors tallied the first pair of shots in the second half, as well, and the deadlock was finally broken in the 57th minute when Audrey Sexson received a direct pass out of the midfield from Marissa Davis and wasted no time in feeding a promising through-ball for Crowder to run on to. The freshman forward showed calmness and spatial awareness in front of goal as she picked the right time to steer her shot across the face of the net and out of the reach of the diving keeper. Wheaton finally had a deserved lead, but the guests knew that one goal may not be enough to get the job done away from home, and they continued to get numbers forward in the attack as they sought to double their lead. The second goal arrived in the 65th minute when Sexson did well to keep the ball in play on the left byline and lofted a cross over the head of Augustana's shot-stopper. The ball bounced off the crossbar, took a touch off of an unsuspecting Vikings defender, and fell nicely to Mia Blair, who was all too happy to poke home a first-time finish. The junior joined Grace Crowder on three goals for the season and gave the visitors some much-desired breathing room in an important conference contest.  

Just four minutes later, the Thunder sealed the victory when Katherine Ashley received a pass from Blair on the right wing and delivered a perfect cross into the box. Adrienne Carter, once again playing in a more advanced attacking position, applied a sharp first-touch shot to divert the ball home and triple Wheaton's lead, with all three goals coming in quick succession. Augustana answered back almost immediately with a goal of their own via a thumping header from a corner kick, but the Vikings did not have enough offensive firepower to pull off a late comeback, and the Thunder were able to make up for last season's home loss to Augie with an impressive all-around effort.

Wheaton limited their hosts to three efforts on target tonight while out-shooting the Vikings, 22-4, and putting 12 of their attempts on frame. The Thunder posted five corner kicks to Augustana's two and earned an impressive 64-36% advantage in possession across the 90 minutes of play.

Myah Schoolman was only called into action for one save on Wednesday thanks to a strong showing from the Thunder's defensive unit. Katherine Ashley and Grace Crowder led the team in shots on target with three each, and the former registered an assist while the latter scored the opening goal of the game. Morgan Beamer and Mia Blair both contributed a pair of attempts on goal, with Blair scoring from one of her shots on frame. Adrienne Carter opened her collegiate scoring account for the Thunder, and Audrey Sexson assisted Crowder's finish to continue her impressive attacking output this season.

With two matches remaining in the regular season, the Wheaton women's team is now in the driver's seat for a second-place finish in the conference standings. If the Thunder can win both of their upcoming fixtures, they will clinch a top-two placement in the table and earn the right to host a CCIW Tournament semifinal in two weeks' time. That aim begins with a Senior Day matchup against the North Park Vikings this weekend, as the Thunder women finally return to Bean Stadium after an extended stretch away from home. Kick-off between Wheaton and North Park is scheduled for 4:30 PM on Saturday.