Contact: Tyler Friel, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Box Score

Oct. 22, 2016 – Despite an incredible defensive effort for the majority of the game, the North Central College women's soccer team was not able to overcome a late deficit and lost to College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) foe Wheaton College 2-0 Saturday afternoon at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

The Cardinals and Thunder were locked in a defensive battle for the ages, with neither team scoring until the 77^th minute of the match. The Thunder owned a 10-3 shots battle by the end of the first half but the Cardinal defense was able to keep their opponent from capitalizing, with Nicki Seiton stopping all four shots on goal she faced.

The Cardinals couldn't seem to get their momentum going after the break. They faced seven more shots in the second half but could only add one additional shot on their end. Meanwhile, the Thunder kept firing shots off until Morgan Whitman connected in the 77^th minute, a ten yard pass from Sarah Van Wingerden streaking toward the goal. Van Wingerden would later add a goal of her own after the rebound from a free kick found her, giving the Thunder the decisive 2-0 victory.

The Cardinals drop to 4-8-2, 3-3 CCIW while the Thunder maintain first place in the conference with a 9-7, 6-1 CCIW record. North Central has two conference opponents remaining as they host Illinois Wesleyan on October 26 before finishing off their regular season at North Park on October 29.

The Cardinals will finish off their non-conference schedule on Monday, October 24 as they travel to Aurora University to take on the Spartans at 2 pm. Live stats and video can be found HERE.