Wheaton, Ill. -- Rounding out its three-match home stretch this evening, the Wheaton men's soccer team hosted the Augustana College Vikings for its Senior Night contest at Joe Bean Stadium. The celebratory occasion proved to be a successful one, as the Thunder secured a comfortable 2-0 victory to get back into the win column in conference play. Wheaton's overall record is now 7-5-1 and the team owns a 3-1 mark in CCIW competition at the halfway point of the regular season conference slate.
The visitors came into the game fresh off of an upset win over North Central College in the midweek and seized the early initiative, putting two shots on target to force a pair of saves from senior goalkeeper
Mason Escalante (pictured below) and winning two corner kicks in the first five minutes of the match. But the Thunder survived this first flurry and it proved to be Augustana's most dangerous period of the night, as the hosts claimed control of
the match soon after. Wheaton's first attacking opportunity of the evening resulted in a corner kick near the eight-minute mark, and the Thunder notched the opening goal three minutes later when
Pryse Anderson received a lay-off pass from
Mason Louth, shifted the ball onto his right foot to dance past a defender, and fired in a clinical shot from the top of the box into the bottom left corner of the Vikings' net.
(VIDEO) The senior's breakthrough goal on his Senior Night appearance took his tally to five for the season and provided a much-needed spark to Wheaton's play.
Augie responded with another effort on frame five minutes later, but Escalante was up to the challenge to keep the hosts' lead intact. The Thunder's lead was doubled in the 22nd minute when Anderson maneuvered the ball out to the right wing, where fellow fourth-year
Kyle Schauer (pictured right) was galloping down the flank and whipped a pinpoint, first-time ball from outside the penalty area across the face of goal.
Kyle Johnson 
made an effective run to the near post and beat his marker to Schauer's cross to coolly stab the ball home for his team-leading sixth strike of the campaign.
(VIDEO) This marked Schauer's first goal contribution for the Thunder program, and the senior picked the perfect occasion to register his assist. Wheaton now had the two-goal cushion it craved, and the Thunder defense stifled the Vikings' attack in the remainder of the first half to secure the home side's advantage heading into the halftime break.
The second period proved a frustrating exercise for both sides, as Augustana could not find a way through to goal and posted just a single attempt on target, while Wheaton saw multiple good chances to extend its lead cleared away in last-ditch fashion. On more than one occasion, a Thunder shot was on its way into the net only for the Augie goalkeeper or defenders to sweep it away at the last second and keep the scoreline at 2-0. But Wheaton did the essential part well and prevented Augustana from carving its way back into the contest to eventually secure its fifth shutout of the campaign. The Thunder defense has conceded just two goals in its last five outings, with both of those scores coming in unlucky circumstances against Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday of this week.
The home side registered 17 shot attempts this evening while the guests from Rock Island fired off ten efforts. Wheaton only put one more of its shots on frame than Augie managed at a 5-4 tilt, but the Thunder put away two of these attempts to create separation on the scoreboard. The Thunder lead the CCIW in corner kicks taken this season and enjoyed another sizable advantage in the category on Saturday with a 15-5 split while also bossing possession of the ball at a 58-42% measure. Both sides had less than ten fouls called on them in a clean affair, but the head official handed out three yellow cards in total.
Four Wheaton players contributed shots on goal in this evening's win, with
Wesley Seneff posting a team-high two efforts on frame. The Thunder attack was led by Anderson, who scored what proved to be the game-winner from his only shot on target and picked up an assist on Johnson's goal.
Nati Hamilton also chipped in with an effort on target in his Senior Night appearance.
Mason Louth and Schauer joined Anderson on one assist to set up the home side's two goals. Escalante enjoyed a straightforward night in goal after a busy opening twenty minutes and finished the game with four saves en route to the fifth clean sheet of his senior season. All ten seniors on this year's roster saw time on the field in tonight's match, and goalkeeper
Collin Groezinger replaced Escalante for the last few minutes of the game to earn his first career appearance for Wheaton.
After a perfect Senior Night result, the Thunder will head back out on the road for the first time in two weeks on Wednesday when they travel to Kenosha for a 7 PM matchup against the Carthage Firebirds.
