Tacoma, Wash. -- After a hard-earned 2-1 win at Pacific Lutheran University on Friday, the Thunder men's soccer team returned to East Field in Tacoma this afternoon for the second portion of its weekend schedule in Washington. Wheaton took on University of Puget Sound for only the second time in program history, and the exciting non-conference battle finished 2-2 after a back and forth 90 minutes of play. The Loggers scored twice late in the first half and maintained their lead until halfway through the second period when
Chris Konieczny netted his first collegiate goal to salvage a draw and extend Wheaton's unbeaten start to the season, with the team now owning a 2-0-2 record.
Both teams carved out a corner kick opportunity in the game's first five minutes, and the first shot on target came from the Thunder on six minutes when
Jack Kern tested the Puget Sound keeper with a low drive. Wheaton maintained its early pressure with two more corner kicks and another effort on goal, this time by
Sam Grotelueschen. The home side then flipped the momentum and enjoyed a spell of offensive pressure of three shots and two corners between the 14th and 18th minutes, but the deadlock was broken by the visitors in the 23rd when
Cooper Falling found
Ashur Eshw for the latter's third goal in as many games to give Wheaton the lead.
Recognizing the significance of the game's theoretical second goal, both teams attempted shots in the following four minutes, but the scoreline remained at 1-0 until Puget Sound equalized with a sharp finish in the 39th minute. Encouraged by this leveler, the Loggers kept their foot on the gas and fired off two more efforts in the ensuing three minutes before breaking through with the go-ahead strike just over one minute before the intermission. The Thunder used every remaining second of the first half to try to find an immediate equalizer and forced a corner kick with twenty seconds left, but no clear chance came of it and the hosts secured a 2-1 advantage at the break.
Neither team came flying out of the gate in the second half, and the first attempt on target after halftime didn't arrive until 20 minutes into the period as a slow-developing tactical battle emerged between the sides. But with 25 minutes left to play, the ball came to
Mason Louth on the left wing, and the senior midfielder promptly delivered a high-quality cross to the back post that was headed home superbly by the leaping Konieczny to open his Thunder account and bring Wheaton level at 2-2. This goal proved to be a mental and physical setback for the home side, as Puget Sound surrendered possession to the Thunder in the following minutes and the visitors turned up the pressure with two more shots on target and a pair of corner kicks down the stretch in their search for a game-winner.
Despite this flow of game play, however, it was the hosts who came the closest to finding the decisive goal at the very end of the game. A Puget Sound attacker latched onto an outlet pass and brought the ball up the field until he found himself in a one-on-one situation with
Jack Krahel at the top left corner of the box. Krahel, despite having very little to do in the second half up to this point, quickly rushed off his line and threw up a strong hand to repel the effort at his goal and preserve Wheaton's unbeaten record. The Loggers had one final chance to win it at the horn with the resulting corner kick, but nothing came of it and the spoils were shared on Saturday.
Unlike in Friday's win at Pacific Lutheran, Wheaton enjoyed advantages in all of the major box score statistics this afternoon, posting 15 total shot attempts with seven efforts on goal compared to Puget Sound's 12 and three, respectively. The Thunder drew five saves from the opposing keeper, while Puget Sound only tested Krahel on a couple of occasions. Wheaton also took nine corner kicks to the Loggers' seven.
The Thunder's two goalscorers were the only players to register multiple shots on frame today, with Eshw and Konieczny each hitting the target twice. Grotelueschen, Kern, and Lucas accounted for Wheaton's three remaining attempts on goal, and Falling and Louth each picked up an assist.
After this weekend's positive and action-packed cross-country trip, the Thunder will return to Joe Bean Stadium for their next contest, as Wheaton hosts University of Chicago in a 7 PM matchup on Wednesday.
