Holland, Mich. -- For the third match in a row, the Thunder women's soccer team played in the state of Michigan this afternoon in another non-conference contest, this time against the Hope Flying Dutch. Wheaton's MIAA hosts put on a powerful offensive performance and withstood a second-half goal from their guests to claim a 3-1 win on Tuesday. Wheaton will next be in action back in Illinois on Saturday afternoon in the last of its four-consecutive away games.

From the opening whistle, the Flying Dutch demonstrated their attacking intent, logging three shots on target in the first three minutes. The home side's pressure paid off eight minutes in when Hope found the back of the net to claim an early lead. Most of the first half was played on Wheaton's side of the field, and the visitors did not post their first attempt at Hope's goal until four minutes before halftime when Mia Blair drew a save from the opposition goalkeeper. Thunder shot-stopper Elizabeth Netz made six saves in a busy first half and did well to keep Wheaton in the game heading into halftime.

The hosts needed only five minutes after the restart to find their second goal of the afternoon and establish a clear advantage. For all of Hope's control, however, the Thunder found a route back into the contest midway through the second half when a Flying Dutch giveaway in the midfield was seized upon by Blair. The senior captain drove into space and played a pinpoint through-ball into the path of Lucie Parrish, who timed her forward run perfectly to stay onside. The sophomore attacker found herself one-on-one with the Hope keeper and showed impressive patience and a clinical touch to roll her shot underneath the sprawling stopper's legs and bag her first career goal for Wheaton. This strike against the run of play ignited hopes of a Thunder comeback, but the Flying Dutch defense stifled their guests' offense in the remainder of the game, and Hope scored a third goal with 11 minutes remaining to ultimately settle the contest.

The Michigan outfit enjoyed advantages in the box score statistics and forced 10 saves from the rookie Netz. Blair continued her strong early-season form with another assist today and needs just one more assist to match her tally from last year, having already equaled her 2023 goal haul. Parrish's goal was the only other shot on target for the Thunder in Tuesday's meeting, while 21 different players saw the field for the Orange and Blue in today's non-conference affair.

Having concluded its stretch of matches in the Great Lakes State, the Wheaton women's team will next head to nearby Dominican University to round off its run of road fixtures. Kick-off between the Thunder and the Stars is set for 3 PM on Saturday in River Forest.