By Mark DeHaan

The Calvin women's soccer team hosted Wheaton College on Saturday for its final non-conference matchup of the season.

Looking to bounce back from a pair of defeats earlier in the week, the Knights faced a tough challenge in the Thunder, who were ranked fifth in the country entering the game.

Standing up to the challenge for the majority of the game, the only thing that separated the teams at the end of 90 minutes was a goal for Wheaton in a scramble in front of net.

The first half saw the two sides fight back and forth for control of the game. In the opening 15 minutes, the Thunder dictated the tempo, tallying three shots and three corner kicks.

The next 15 minutes then saw Calvin put pressure on Wheaton's defense. Sophomore Kailey Jo had a header on goal that was saved by the Thunder keeper in the 28th minute.

The rest of the half was then fought in the midfield, and after 45 minutes, the teams were deadlocked in a scoreless tie.

Wheaton outshot Calvin 6-3 in the opening half while each team had three corner kicks.
In the second half, the Thunder saw increased pressure, and in the 63rd minute, Wheaton broke through for a goal.

In a scrum off a corner kick, a shot by Wheaton got past the Knights keeper but was stopped by a defender on the goal line. Despite stopping the initial shot, Calvin could not stop the second as Wheaton forward Anna Seabolt cleaned up and put the rebound into the back of the net for a 1-0 Thunder lead.

Looking to quickly respond, the Knights saw their closest shot on goal in the 74th minute. Collecting a ball just above the Thunder box, junior Paige Capel turned and put a shot toward goal that rolled just wide of frame.

In the remaining time, Calvin could not equalize with Wheaton and the Thunder came away as 1-0 winners.

Wheaton outshot the Knights 22-8 for the game, forcing Calvin's freshman goalkeeper Jenna Shelton into seven saves for the game.

"In the past couple days, we've made some decisions to go with a different strategy, and that strategy, today, really did its job," said head coach Mark Recker. "I think it was a good result for us because it showed that we can compete. That change of morale will be huge, and that's what we'll try to build on."

The Knights now look forward to Tuesday when they'll return to conference play against the Belles of Saint Mary's. Tuesday contest will be played at Zuidema Field, with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m.