Men’s Soccer breaks win streak and loses momentum

October 26, 2017
The Wheaton Men’s Soccer team spent a good portion of their fall break along the banks of the Mississippi river as they traveled to Rock Island, Ill. to take on the Augustana Vikings. Fortunately for them, their dedication payed off as they were rewarded with a 1-0 win. The game was scoreless for 80 minutes, until senior defender Drew Shay scored with 10 minutes to play, and the Thunder held on for the victory.
As students began returning to campus, the team headed home as well for a two-game homestand against conference rivals North Central and Illinois Wesleyan. On Saturday, the Thunder blanked North Central 2-0 as part of a three-game sweep for Thunder athletics over the archrival Cardinals in the span of one week, with the Women’s Soccer team and Football team also triumphing. Sophomore midfielder Jacob Kapitaniuk scored in the first half for the Thunder. Later in the half, senior forward Max Carey scored to provide the Thunder with a 2-0 lead. The defense took over from there, as they only allowed a total of nine shots, none of which were on target, to secure the 2-0 win. Freshman goalie Hasten Biddlecome was credited with the shutout, despite not being called upon to make a save. The shutout was his fourth in a row, a remarkable achievement that earned him CCIW Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The next game for the Thunder was less successful however, as their four-game shutout streak, as well as their four-game win streak came to an end against Illinois Wesleyan. Despite having only nine shots during the game, the Titans were able to get four goals into the net as Hasten Biddlecome came back down to earth hard, making only one save in the game. The only goal of the day for the Thunder came on a penalty shot by Drew Shay with 21 seconds remaining in the first half.
After the loss to Illinois Wesleyan, the Thunder traveled to Decatur to take on Millikin University yesterday night at 7:00pm. The Thunder fell behind early with a Millikin score a little more than nine minutes into the game. Then the Wheaton defense was able to keep Millikin out of the net for the rest of the first half. The offense was unsuccessful with none of their four shots on goal getting past Millikin’s goalie.
During the second half, Wheaton was able to score around the 60th minute. It looked like the the Thunder would come away with a win until the 79th minute when Millikin tied the game. Wheaton sophomore Will Woodfin answered with a goal at the 81st minute to tie the game 2-2. In double overtime neither team scored, and each team was credited with a tie.
The Thunder return to action on Saturday, as they host Finlandia University at 7 p.m.