Wheaton, Ill. -- The Thunder women's soccer team hosted Saint Mary's College on Wednesday evening in a midweek non-conference matchup. Both teams were able to contain each other effectively on the offensive end, resulting in a 1-1 tie. Wheaton's record moves to 1-4-1 with the result, while the visiting Belles now own a 3-2-1 mark on the season.
From the start of the match, it was clear that defense would be the dominant force for both teams. The game was scoreless until the back end of the second half, with just five total shot attempts taken in the first period. Wheaton aggressively opened the contest with two shots in the first 10 minutes. On the other end, the Belles managed two attempts, both of which were forced wide by the Thunder defense.
The second period saw an increase in offense in the 50th minute with a shot by Calah Strong that was ultimately blocked by Saint Mary's. Six minutes later, the Belles countered with an attempt of their own. This effort was thwarted by Wheaton goalie Lydia Martin, who finished the contest with two saves.
Just when a scoreless draw began to loom on the horizon, Saint Mary's managed to break through Wheaton's defense in the 79th minute. A turnover in the midfield allowed Mia Johnson to assist Lily Larimer, who drove at the Thunder back line and buried a 20-yard strike into the top left corner that made the score 1-0 in the Belles' favor.
The Thunder wasted no time with their response. Just 15 seconds later, Strong took a free kick and reacted quickly with another effort at goal after the Saint Mary's wall blocked her initial attempt. Her second shot was a high blast that bounced off the crossbar but was collected by forward Olivia Martin. Martin's subsequent shot from the side of the six-yard box connected after deflecting off a Saint Mary's defender, knotting up the score at one goal apiece. (VIDEO)
Both teams' defenses held firm for the final 10 minutes of the match, and the game concluded in a 1-1 tie.
The hosts out-shot their Indiana guests by a 14-9 margin, although both sides put three attempts on target this evening. Wheaton doubled the amount of corner kicks that Saint Mary's earned at a 6-3 tally and carved out a 54-46% edge in possession.
Martin's goal was her first of the season, and she was joined on one shot on frame by the assister Strong and Annika Vandervelde.
The Thunder will play at home again this weekend when they host the University of Chicago in a 2 PM matchup on Saturday.
