Wheaton, Ill. -- The Thunder women's soccer team continued their difficult run of non-conference fixtures on Wednesday night with a contest against the Hope Flying Dutch at Joe Bean Stadium. While a second-half strike from the visitors prevented Wheaton from logging their first win of the campaign, the home side managed to halt their four-game skid with a 1-1 tie. Wheaton's season record now stands at 0-4-3 heading into the last week of non-conference action.

Hope came into this evening's matchup with a solid body of work so far in 2023 and posted statistical advantages in Wednesday's contest as they sought a second-straight win over the Thunder. The guests fired off 20 shots and put nine on target, forcing eight saves from Thunder goalkeeper Myah Schoolman, who had a busy night. In addition to the upper hand they had in attempts, Hope also earned six corner kicks to just one for Wheaton. But the hosts did edge the possession battle at 52-48%, a noteworthy stat against a more experienced opponent.

Katherine Ashley netted her first goal of the season on one of her three shots on target tonight, the only Wheaton player to put an effort on frame over the 90 minutes. She was assisted by Emily Setran, who joined Ashley and two other teammates on one assist for the year thus far.

Ashley began the game as the most lively attacker on either team, posting three attempts in the opening 17 minutes. She got progressively more accurate, as her effort just past the 15-minute mark was saved by the opposition goalkeeper before she found the back of the net two minutes later. Hope attempted to move the ball out of their own defensive third, but Setran made a well-timed interception and combined effectively with midfield partner Audrey Sexson before slipping a pass up to Ashley on the right side of the box. The junior forward took a touch to steady herself before calmly burying her shot in the bottom left corner across the diving goalkeeper's path.

The Flying Dutch reacted proactively to this setback, attempting four shots in the next six minutes, but the Thunder defense held firm and went into the locker room holding a 1-0 lead thanks to Ashley's confident strike. This first-half shutout by Schoolman and company continued Wheaton's run of not conceding before halftime, now the case in their last three outings.

But the visitors from Michigan were determined to head home to Holland with something to show for their effort. The Flying Dutch controlled proceedings after the intermission, only allowing three off-target attempts from the hosts before finding the equalizer. With 21 minutes left to play, an incisive counterattack from Hope challenged the Thunder back line, and a dangerous pass into the box allowed the visitors' goalscorer to deftly step away from her marker and finish clinically into the Wheaton net to level the score.

While this concession will have disappointed a Wheaton team yet to taste victory in 2023, the hosts did well to walk away with a result having been under pressure for much of the second half. The Thunder limited their guests to only three more shot attempts after seeing their lead canceled out, the last of which was a smart stop by Schoolman in the final 30 seconds following a Hope corner kick. This resolute defending, along with Ashley's opener, will serve as points of optimism for the young Thunder squad as the season continues.

The Wheaton women's team will leave the time zone this weekend as they head to Oberlin, Ohio for their final non-conference road game on Saturday afternoon. Wheaton then returns home to host Wisconsin-Whitewater a week from tonight in the last match before CCIW play begins.