Chicago, Ill. -- One week after beginning the CCIW slate with a 1-0 home win over Elmhurst, the Wheaton women's soccer team returned to play in the big city on Saturday evening, facing North Park University in its first conference road match. The hosting Vikings earned just their second-ever win over the Thunder tonight courtesy of a five-goal explosion that snapped Wheaton's three-match shutout and unbeaten streaks. North Park moves to 5-6 on the year and a 2-0 mark in CCIW competition as a result of the victory, while Wheaton's record is now 4-4-3 and 1-1 in league play.
The Thunder will feel hard done by Saturday's scoreline considering the team's superior shot attempt total and slight possession edge over the 90 minutes of action. Wheaton fired off 19 efforts to NPU's 11 and enjoyed just over half of the ball at a 51-49% split. But this evening's match was a case study in clinical finishing, as the home side put eight attempts on target and converted five scoring opportunities while limiting their suburban guests to five shots on goal. North Park also carved out five corner kicks to Wheaton's three.
Lily Lindquist netted the final goal of the game to extend her mark as the Thunder's leading scorer on the season with four goals to her credit.
Elizabeth Clawson picked up her first assist of the campaign on Lindquist's strike.
Abi Edwards was the lone Wheaton player to put multiple attempts on frame this evening, while
Annika Lindquist and
Emily Setran each directed one shot on goal.
Leah Roe played the first two thirds of the match in Wheaton's net and tallied three saves before
Elizabeth Netz came in to finish out the contest.
The Thunder produced the first set piece chance of the game in the fourth minute, while the Vikings registered the first shot on target four minutes later. Setran nearly opened the scoring on 12 minutes, drawing a stop from the NPU keeper, before the hosts went ahead 1-0 in the 16th minute from the first of their five different goalscorers on the night.
Cami Tofilon struck the post on 28 minutes with a near-equalizer for Wheaton, and both sides tallied two more efforts on frame before the halftime whistle. But the score remained 1-0 at the break.
North Park put the contest out of reach with a three-goal flurry in an eight-minute span early in the second half. The Vikings netted in the 53rd, 54th, and 61st minutes to create permanent separation on the scoreboard. The hosts then completed their scoring haul in the 78th minute. Three minutes before the end of regulation, Clawson found her fellow junior Lindquist with a well-timed pass from the midfield that allowed the latter to beat the Vikings' offside trap and take the ball around the goalkeeper to roll her finish home for Wheaton's consolation goal which sealed the final scoreline.
The Thunder return to Bean Stadium on Wednesday to host Illinois Wesleyan University in a 7 PM matchup.
