Wheaton, Ill. -- Taking to the Joe Bean Stadium pitch for the last time in the regular season on Wednesday night, the Wheaton men's soccer team hosted local rival North Central College for an important conference clash. The visiting Cardinals came into this evening's match unbeaten in conference play and sitting atop
the CCIW standings, and the Naperville guests logged a 4-2 win to stretch their unbeaten streak against the Thunder to 10 games dating back to 2018. Tonight's result ends Wheaton's quest for a third-consecutive CCIW regular season title, with North Central, North Park, and Illinois Wesleyan battling it out to be the next name on the trophy. NCC improves to 11-2-3 on the year with a 5-0-2 mark in league action, while Wheaton dips to 5-8-3 overall and 3-2-2 in CCIW competition with one match remaining on its regular season schedule.
The hosts enjoyed a fast start to Wednesday's encounter and finished with a 55-45% possession advantage over 90 minutes. But the deep and talented Cardinals squad flexed its muscles elsewhere, out-shooting the Thunder 22-12 and putting an impressive 10 shots on goal while limiting Wheaton to three. The corner kick count was roughly even, with North Central taking five and Wheaton earning four. 27 total fouls were called by the referee, but no cards were shown to either team.
Luke Vander Kolk continued his rich vein of form this evening, netting his team-best seventh goal of the year. The senior leads all CCIW players with five goals in conference matches this fall.
Reuben Bos found the back of the net for the second time in three games with the final goal of the night.
Jack Kern and Vander Kolk picked up their third assists of the campaign on his strike, while
Brody Prochnow earned an assist on Vander Kolk's opener.
Craig Rusin accounted for Wheaton's third shot on target, while
Luke McGuire made six saves and kept his team in the contest with multiple impressive reaction stops.
The visitors carved out the game's first corner kick just 30 seconds in and drew an early save from McGuire to put the Thunder defense on alert. But the scoring was opened at the other end when Rusin floated a free kick delivery into the box and Prochnow out-jumped his marker to plant a strong header off the crossbar. The ball fell into the path of Vander Kolk, who reacted quicker than any North Central player around him and headed the rebound home to give Wheaton the lead just shy of the 10-minute mark.
But North Central would answer with a double blow just five minutes later that flipped the scoreline on its head. The guests seized a 2-1 advantage thanks a set-up cross to the back post and an incisive move through the middle that led to a clinical finish. Rusin tested the Cardinals' shot-stopper with a set piece effort in the 20th minute, but NCC maintained its offensive pressure and doubled its lead in the 32nd from a dangerous ball across the face of goal that was dispatched with a well-taken first-touch strike. The Thunder thought they had a second goal five minutes before the break when a perfectly-weighted cross to the back post was thumped into the net with an impressive header. But the linesman's offside flag cut the celebrations short, and the visitors' 3-1 edge remained intact heading into halftime.
The Cardinals all but confirmed the three points with their fourth goal just three minutes into the second half via a solo run and finish. Wheaton did not stop pushing forward, however, and the hosts' efforts were rewarded midway through the period when a sharp touch from Kern at the top of the box led to a chested knock-down by Vander Kolk that sat up nicely for Bos 15 yards from goal. The sophomore caught it perfectly on the volley and blasted his strike past the hapless NCC goalie to revive the Thunder's interest. But any hopes of a thrilling late comeback were snuffed out by the conference leaders' effective game management and defensive control in the closing stages.
After a challenging end to its home slate, Wheaton will travel to Bloomington this weekend for the regular season finale against Illinois Wesleyan. The Thunder have not yet secured a spot in this year's CCIW Tournament but are in a favorable position to do so, currently sitting fourth in the standings, two points ahead of fifth-placed Millikin. Wheaton will earn a conference tournament berth with a win or a draw against IWU and will also qualify if Millikin fails to beat North Park on Saturday and/or if Carroll fails to win both of its remaining matches. Kick-off between the Thunder and the Titans is set for 3:30 PM on Saturday.
