Wheaton, Ill. -- Two years to the day since the Thunder men's soccer team hosted the University of Dubuque Spartans in the programs' first-ever meeting, Wheaton again welcomed the Iowa side to Joe Bean Stadium on Saturday to continue their nonconference series. Tonight's matchup was a competitive and feisty affair, and the visitors scored an early goal to threaten Wheaton's unbeaten season record. But the Thunder turned the game around in the second half and claimed a deserved 2-1 win to improve to 3-0-3 on the year and avoid a first defeat of their campaign.

Dubuque is still looking for its first win of the season, and the visitors started Saturday's match with a clear sense of determination and aggression. Pushing the ball into the Wheaton half of the field in the first ten minutes, the Spartans fired off two shot attempts in quick succession to signal their attacking interest. The scoring was then opened just shy of the 13-minute mark when Dubuque launched the ball into the box and one of their defenders pounced on a rebounded effort on goal with a highlight-reel bicycle kick to put the Spartans in front.

Wheaton responded with its first shot of the game four minutes later, but the guests controlled the balance of play for most of the first half and did their best to unsettle the home side with a physical and compact style of play. The Thunder enjoyed a promising flurry right at the end of the first period as Garrett Belcher logged the team's first attempt on goal and two more shots followed on either side of a corner kick. But Dubuque's back line held firm, and the ARC squad dug in for a warranted halftime lead.

With the hat-trick hero of 2023's meeting, Kyle Johnson, sidelined through injury tonight, Wheaton needed a new face to step forward to help the team salvage something from the game. Following three early but off target attempts to start the second 45, a pair of substitutes answered the call and brought the Thunder level less than ten minutes into the half. Andrew Heeringa possessed the ball on the wing and played a tantalizing cross from his right back position into the center of the Dubuque box, where Isaac Lucas (pictured left) found the space between two Spartan defenders to leap up and power his header off the underside of the crossbar for a stylish equalizer. (VIDEO)

Sensing an opportunity to compound their advantage, the Thunder seized on this momentum boost and sped the game up to throw off Dubuque's conservative rhythm. Just four minutes after Lucas's tying goal, Luke Vander Kolk exploded into life and drew a sharp save from the Spartans' goalkeeper to keep the flow of the game firmly in Dubuque's defensive third. 90 seconds later, the junior transfer then beat the opposing shot-stopper with a clinical finish on the half volley for his team-leading fourth goal of the season. Heeringa was involved once again as his long throw-in over the top of the defense was nudged down by Lucas into Vander Kolk's path, and the Connecticut native wasted no time in rifling a shot into the bottom left corner of the net to send the sizable home crowd into loud celebrations. (VIDEO)

Having done the hard work of flipping the scoreline on its head, it then became a test of proper game management for the Thunder as they looked to see out the contest with minimal fuss. Halfway through the second frame, the Spartans earned a free kick 30 yards out and blasted a direct shot on goal that needed to be repelled by Jack Krahel. But this proved to be Dubuque's only attempt on target after the Thunder took the lead, and Wheaton showed its maturity and poise in closing out the win without any serious scares.

Both sides earned two corner kicks on Saturday, but the Thunder secured advantages in the other statistical categories. Wheaton enjoyed 56% of the game's possession and registered 15 shot attempts to Dubuque's nine, with five of the hosts' efforts being on target compared to three for the visitors. 22 total fouls were called and five yellow cards were shared between the squads in a chippy encounter.

Vander Kolk, Lucas, and Heeringa were at the center of the action for Wheaton tonight, with the former posting a match-high two shots on goal, including his 60th-minute winner. Lucas tallied one goal and one assist in a lively attacking cameo, and Heeringa collected his first points of the season from his pair of assists, just as his first collegiate point came from an assist in the 3-1 home win over tonight's opponents two years ago. Belcher and Ashur Eshw were responsible for Wheaton's other two efforts on target, and Krahel made one save in the Thunder net tonight.

After a pair of positive performances at home this week, the Wheaton men head back out on the road for their next two fixtures. The Thunder travel to the St. Louis area twice next week, first taking on Greenville University on Tuesday afternoon before going to Washington University (Mo.) on Saturday.