Kalamazoo, Mich. -- After opening its 2024 schedule with the Bob Baptista Invitational last weekend, the Wheaton women's soccer team headed out on the road for the first time this season on Friday to take on the Kalamazoo College Hornets. Mia Blair scored in both halves of this afternoon's non-conference contest to propel the Thunder to their second-consecutive win. Wheaton's record is now 2-1 for the young campaign.

The hosting Hornets took six more shot attempts than Wheaton did in today's meeting and earned eight corner kicks to just two for their visitors, but both teams placed six efforts on target across the 90 minutes, and Blair's quality finishing ultimately separated the sides on the scoreboard. 

The senior midfielder led Wheaton with two shots on goal on Friday and has begun the new season on fire, already posting three goals and three assists in as many games. Kylie Houghton and Kate Creighton each earned an assist on Blair's first goal, while Emily Setran provided the pass for her second-half winner. Lily Lindquist, Aliah Ring, Julia Tallungan, and Lucie Parrish each contributed one effort on frame, while Elizabeth Netz made five saves en route to her second victory in the Thunder goal.

Lindquist needed less than four minutes to register the first attempt on target of the match, but Kalamazoo answered back with a pair of shots on Wheaton's goal and two corner kick chances. Blair opened the scoring in the 24th minute following a sharp passing move by the Thunder. Houghton steered an accurate ball up to the feet of Creighton, who held off her defender at the top of the penalty area and laid the ball down for Blair, who promptly spun around and sent a high, looping effort from outside the box over the goalkeeper into the top left corner of the net. The Thunder shored things up defensively after their go-ahead goal and allowed just one more attempt on target from the Hornets in the remainder of the first half.

Within a minute of the restart, Wheaton doubled its lead. Setran collected the ball on the right wing, drove toward the byline, and hit a cut-back pass into the path of Blair, who arrived in front of goal just in time and accurately directed her shot between a pair of closing defenders into the bottom left corner. Kalamazoo did not want to accept defeat easily and made matters dicey for their guests with 25 minutes left by pulling a goal back. But the Illinois side held firm and repeated their impressive defensive stretch of the first half by conceding just a single attempt on goal in the final ten minutes to smoothly see out their first road win of 2024.

The Wheaton women will look to keep their momentum going against Albion College tomorrow afternoon in the second of their four-consecutive road games and three fixtures in the Great Lake State. Kick-off between the Thunder and the Britons is set for 3 PM Central, 4 PM Eastern on Saturday.