Wheaton, Ill. -- After earning a comfortable home win against Augustana on Wednesday, the Wheaton men's soccer team returned to Joe Bean Stadium three nights later for a Senior Night matchup with plenty at stake. The North Park Vikings came to the suburbs to renew their storied rivalry with the Thunder, and the matchup between the conference leaders and the third-placed challengers lived up to the billing. Wheaton turned around an early deficit on home turf with three first-half goals, then put in a spirited defensive performance in the second period to hold off their big city visitors and win their fifth-straight match. The Thunder's conference record now stands at 6-0-1 as a result of tonight's key victory, and Wheaton is one win away from the program's first CCIW regular season title since 2015. Guaranteed to finish no lower than second in the conference standings, the Thunder have clinched a first round bye in the upcoming CCIW Tournament and will host a semifinal match on Wednesday, November 1st. Saturday's win over North Park also sees head coach Steve McCrath's side earn a perfect 4-0 record in conference home matches one year after the Thunder won all four of their CCIW road games.

With North Central having won their match earlier in the day, Wheaton came into the contest knowing that only a win would do if they wanted to reclaim their spot atop the conference pile. Amidst blustery and chilly conditions, the match got off to a cautious start with neither team generating a clear chance in the opening exchanges. But just before the ten-minute mark, the Vikings grabbed the lead on their first attempt of the game via a powerful header from a corner kick situation. The Thunder were caught off guard by this early setback, but having come from behind to win twice in recent weeks as well as against the Vikings themselves in Chicago last year, the hosts did not panic and quickly found a way to restore parity. Kyle Johnson latched onto a pass in behind the visitors' back line, and following a brief duel with a North Park defender, took the ball into the box. But the chasing Vikings player trod on Johnson's foot as he attempted to escape the pressure, and the referee quickly pointed to the spot. Leading scorer Pryse Anderson stepped up to take his first penalty kick since the hat-trick-sealing goal against Trine University at the end of September and calmly powered it into the lower right side to draw the Thunder level at 1-1. (pictured below) 

The Vikings looked to reclaim their lead quickly, forcing the first save of the night from Wheaton's Mason Escalante on the 15-minute mark. But six minutes later, the home side completed the turnaround when Noah Penner picked up the ball at the halfway line and released a wonderfully weighted pass directly into the path of Johnson's run forward. The sophomore controlled the bouncing ball with his thigh and promptly unleashed a fierce volley from the left side of the box into the center roof of the net, stunning the North Park keeper and sending the Wheaton faithful into shouts of celebration and disbelief. However, the visitors had a chance to immediately draw level again at the other end when a free kick was conceded a couple of yards out from the top of the Wheaton box. The resulting set piece was blasted towards Escalante's net, but an impressive reaction save at the left post from the junior shot-stopper kept the hosts' lead intact.

This would prove to be a pivotal moment in the outcome of the game, as the Thunder doubled their lead three and a half minutes later through Johnson's second of the evening. A good piece of hold-up play allowed Anderson to turn on the ball and release Mason Louth down the right wing. The sophomore midfielder went one-on-one with the covering North Park defender before firing in a low cross to the middle of the box. Johnson timed his run to meet the ball, and his first-time shot from eight yards out spun away from the goalkeeper, who could only manage to direct it onto the inside of his post. The flurry of three goals in 13 minutes was completed for Wheaton, and the home side suddenly found themselves two scores up despite conceding first. North Park may have been expected to ramp up their offensive intensity in the remaining minutes of the first half, but the Thunder actually put three more shots on target and limited the Vikings to only one chance before the halftime whistle blew. A first half that showcased why Wheaton are enjoying such a strong campaign drew to a close with the Thunder holding a 3-1 edge, and the only question that remained was whether the hosts could see out the win in the second period.

Wheaton posted just one shot on target after halftime as the hosts emphasized their defensive duties and slowed the game down to prevent North Park from finding an avenue back into the contest. The Vikings enjoyed more of the ball in the second 45 and created a number of promising looks in and around the box, but the necessary clinical finishing that has been Wheaton's charm all season was not present for their guests on Saturday night. A lack of composure combined with resolute defending from Escalante and a young Thunder back line prevented North Park from mounting a late comeback and remaining in the conference title hunt. The visitors' best chance of the period came in the final five minutes when they were awarded a penalty kick from a similar position in the box to where Johnson's first half foul was drawn. But Escalante made the defensive play of the game via an excellent top-hand save diving down to his right to deny the strong spot kick and preserve Wheaton's two-goal cushion. (pictured left) The penalty stop was the cherry on top of a noteworthy performance and result for the Thunder, who moved back into first place in the standings in style on Saturday night.

North Park posted 15 shots to Wheaton's 11 thanks to a 10-3 disparity in the second half, but unsurprisingly, the Thunder were the more accurate side, putting seven of their attempts on frame. Wheaton edged the corner kick count at 3-2, and a mostly civil contest saw 23 total fouls called with three yellow cards brandished. 

Kyle Johnson had one of his best performances in a Wheaton shirt on Saturday, scoring twice off of a team-high three shots on goal and drawing the penalty that produced the Thunder's equalizer. Pryse Anderson maintained his eye-popping accuracy in front of goal this season as he scored from his lone attempt of the match and now has 14 goals from 28 total shots in 2023, good for an even 50% conversion rate. Mason Louth moved into first place for assists on the team with his sixth of the campaign, and Noah Penner's service to Johnson for the game-winner was his fourth assist of the year.

With a top-two finish in the conference table confirmed and a first round bye and semifinal hosting rights for the CCIW Tournament secured, the Wheaton men's soccer team can now focus entirely on their pursuit of the regular season title. If the Thunder defeat Millikin in Decatur, they will hoist the trophy for the first time in eight years. If they drop points, the North Central Cardinals would pip them at the finish line with a win in their final match against Augustana. Wednesday night at 7 PM brings the possibility of silverware to punctuate what has been an impressive regular season for the men's soccer program.