St. Louis, Mo. -- Four days after traveling to the greater St. Louis area for a match against Greenville University, the Wheaton men's soccer team returned to the city proper to take on Washington University in St. Louis in the Thunder's last non-conference road trip of the regular season. Saturday's fixture was an action-packed contest on the field and was disrupted multiple times by lengthy weather delays, as thunderstorms threatened to see the match postponed. But the game was eventually finished, and the hosts scored three times in the second half to finally pull away from a determined Wheaton outfit. Today's result continued a six-game streak between these programs of the home team emerging victorious, and the 4-2 scoreline helped WashU maintain its strong start to the year, with the Bears now owning a 6-1 mark this fall. Wheaton's season record sits at 3-2-3 heading into the start of conference play.
Saturday's hosts left it late to confirm their victory, but the St. Louis side, who received votes to be ranked in this week's United Soccer Coaches national poll, enjoyed advantages in all the box score statistics this afternoon. WashU out-shot Wheaton by a convincing 15-6 margin, although the Thunder's attempts were more accurate in proportion, as the visitors put four of their six efforts on frame compared to five shots on goal by the home side. The Bears registered 11 corner kicks to Wheaton's four and controlled possession of the ball across the 90 minutes of play. Only 16 total fouls were called in today's contest, but three yellow cards were handed out in a frantic final six minutes, with Wheaton getting cautioned twice and WashU receiving one booking.
Luke Vander Kolk netted his sixth goal of the campaign in the first half today, the most of any CCIW player so far this year, and led Wheaton's attacking effort with two shots on target.
Andrew Heeringa (pictured below) continued his impressive
offensive output from the past three games with his first goal in two years this afternoon.
Cooper Falling and
Craig Rusin each contributed an assist, with the latter's set-up for Heeringa representing his first point in a Thunder uniform.
Jack Kern tallied one shot on goal and
Jack Krahel made one save as he played all 90 minutes between the posts for Wheaton again on Saturday.
The Thunder took the game to WashU right from the start today and won their first corner kick just over a minute into the contest. Vander Kolk and Kern both came close to scoring only one minute later, drawing two sharp saves from the opposition goalkeeper. But having survived these early tests, the Bears opened the scoring themselves on six minutes via a cross from the left wing that was poked home at the far post. The game then had its first weather delay, and the teams were sent back to the locker rooms for two hours as rain and lightning pelted the surrounding area. When the action finally resumed, WashU put another effort on target to force Krahel into making a stop.
But Wheaton found the equalizer it was searching for in the 20th minute when some excellent dribbling by Falling allowed the sophomore to get past a defender on the right sideline and deliver an appetizing ball into the six-yard box. The in-form Vander Kolk was the first to react and steered his header into the lower left corner to stun the WashU defense and tie the score at 1-1. The Bears pushed numbers forward after this setback and sought to reclaim their lead before halftime with three more shot attempts and a pair of corners, but the Thunder successfully defended these looks and went into the break level.
Right before the second half was set to begin, another hour-long weather stoppage was required and both teams had to adjust their warm-up routines for the next period accordingly. Once the game eventually resumed, the first ten minutes of the second 45 did not feature any clear goal-scoring chances, but WashU moved back in front at 2-1 on 57 minutes from another cross into the box and first-time finish from close range. This time, the hosts did not allow their out-of-state visitors to draw level again and ratcheted up the pressure on Wheaton's goal over the next 13 minutes with four corner kicks and three shots. This stretch of offensive momentum paid off in the 71st minute when the Bears doubled their lead from the last of their four set piece opportunities, as a WashU player ghosted in behind the defense and tucked his close-range attempt just inside the left post to give his team some breathing room on the scoreboard.
The following 15 minutes saw the hosts manage the game without taking many attacking risks or giving up clear looks at the other end. But Wheaton drew a free kick with five minutes remaining in the match and was given a lifeline by the reigning CCIW Co-Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week, who again showed his ability on the opposite side of the field. Heeringa rose highest in a crowded penalty area to meet Rusin's pitching wedge delivery and directed an impressive header over the sprawling WashU keeper to put his name on the scoresheet for the first time this year and pull the Thunder back within one score. But the hope of a dramatic late comeback was quickly extinguished when the Bears took advantage of Wheaton committing more numbers in attack to net their fourth goal of the afternoon from a counterattack with four minutes left to play. This late strike provided sufficient cushion for Saturday's hosts to finally seal their victory in an exciting and lengthy non-conference battle.
After a week on the road, the Thunder men's squad has the upcoming midweek slot open and will return to action next Saturday. Wheaton is set to welcome Elmhurst University to Joe Bean Stadium for a 7 PM Homecoming match that also serves as the CCIW opener for both teams.
