Colorado Springs, Colo. -- The Thunder men's soccer team returned to Stewart Field on the campus of Colorado College 24 hours after its first match of the weekend to take on the hosting Tigers tonight in another non-conference test. Saturday's fixture was a back-and-forth, high-scoring affair with a thrilling conclusion that saw four goals scored in the final six minutes of play. Wheaton twice came from behind to tie the game but ultimately suffered a 5-4 defeat in heartbreaking fashion after conceding a last-minute winner. Tonight's result drops the Thunder's early record to 1-2 overall while Colorado College improves to 2-0.
After enduring a frustrating night in front of goal on Friday, Wheaton wasted no time in finding the back of the net on this occasion. The visitors snatched the lead less than five minutes into the contest when
Cooper Falling converted his team's first attempt of the night following a set-up pass from
Jack Kern. But the SCAC side responded with offensive pressure of its own through two shots and a pair of corner kicks and needed just seven minutes to find the equalizer in an exciting opening stretch.
One minute after CC's tying goal,
Craig Rusin drew a smart save from the Tigers' goalkeeper at the other end. But neither squad managed to create many clear-cut opportunities in the remainder of the first half, and the teams settled into a stalemate heading into the halftime locker room.
Colorado came flying out of the break, however, and claimed its first lead of the game 90 seconds into the second period via a powerful 25-yard drive into the bottom right corner. The Tigers used this early boost and its sizable home crowd to its advantage and began to assert control over the match, logging a bevy of efforts at goal and corner kicks as they sought to double the lead. But Wheaton absorbed this pressure without cracking and found an equalizer of its own in the 67th minute thanks to a dangerous cross from the right wing by Kern (
pictured right) that was accidentally redirected into the goal by a Tigers defender.
Parity would not last long for the visitors, though, as a penalty kick concession six minutes later gave CC the chance to pull back in front at 3-2. The Thunder were determined to get back on level terms, and Rusin and
Luke Vander Kolk each steered attempts on target in quick succession. The Tigers would double their advantage with just over five minutes to play, however, on a well-executed set piece routine and looked to be on their way to a home field win.
But Rusin and Vander Kolk combined to pull a goal back just 30 seconds after the restart, with the former lofting a free kick delivery into the box for the latter to clinically dispatch into the bottom left corner of the goal. This sparked a furious turnaround by the Thunder that saw Colorado's two-goal lead improbably wiped out within three minutes after Vander Kolk earned a penalty kick and
Ashur Eshw (
pictured left) held his nerve to bury it in the lower corner to loud cheers from Wheaton's local fanbase in attendance.
There was still time for a painful twist, however, as the Thunder's hard work to tie the game back up was undone by a long-range blast with 70 seconds left on the clock. Wheaton had one final opportunity to launch the ball forward in search of a potential tenth goal of the game, but this did not come to fruition as Colorado saw out the closing seconds to avoid another draw with the Thunder after their 2-2 scoreline in Wheaton last year.
The Tigers out-shot their guests by a 20-9 margin this evening, but Wheaton was more accurate with its finishing, putting six of those attempts on target compared to CC's eight on frame. Both teams made three saves and were shown two yellow cards by the referee. Colorado generated 13 corner kicks and conceded just five, while Wheaton claimed a narrow 52-48% possession advantage.
Vander Kolk led the attack for the Thunder on Saturday with two shots on target, including his second half goal, and he was matched on this figure by Rusin. Rusin and Kern were each credited with an assist, while Eshw and Falling's goals accounted for Wheaton's other attempts on frame.
After a competitive but disappointing weekend of results, the Thunder team will travel back home and has the upcoming midweek off before hosting the Bob Baptista Invitational at Joe Bean Stadium next weekend. Wheaton is set to face Pacific Lutheran University on Friday night and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps the following evening, with CCIW rival North Park serving as the competition's fourth team.
