CHICAGO, Ill. -- A furious rally in the final minutes came up short as the University of Chicago men's soccer team lost a foul-filled contest 1-0 to Wheaton College on Tuesday.

The Maroons are now 2-1-1 on the season. The No. 15-ranked Thunder improved to 4-1-0.

The match turned physical right away as both teams were aggressive in the air and fought for possession near the sidelines. A combined 28 fouls were called in the first half, with Wheaton whistled for 17 fouls.

Chicago's first offensive chance came from defender Alexis Onfroy in the fifth minute when he rushed up the left side unmarked and pushed a shot just wide right. The next best opportunity for the Maroons came when Wheaton was whistled for a yellow card on Chicago's offensive break near the top of the box. But the free kick by Jorge Bilbao was saved in the 11th minute.

The Thunder came within inches of the first goal at 16:09 when Stephen Russo hit the right post with a header off a free kick. Wheaton soon capitalized at 19:26. A through ball by Nathan Jasperse found Marshall Hollingsworth behind the defense, who scored one-on-one.

Both teams made a number of long-distance runs on goal throughout the game. Nick Codispoti jump started the Chicago offense on multiple occasions, finding seams in middle of the field and passing ahead to the forwards. Michael Choquette was the recipient of the most chances as the sophomore took six shots. Choquette came very close several times, flying into the box with a shot and the subsequent rebound, which narrowly missed the right post with 37:34 left in the game.

However, the Maroons could not get the ball across the goal line despite its hard pressure in the game's final minutes. Chicago led the shots category 15-12 and in corner kicks 4-3. The foul total finished at 50, with Wheaton committing 31 of the fouls and getting served five yellow cards. The Maroons earned one yellow card.

David Cohen played the first half in goal for the home team, allowing one goal with one save. Teammate Brett Wiesen played a scoreless second half with three saves. Wheaton goalie Ryan Seager picked up the shutout with six saves.

Chicago's next match will be at Wabash College with a 2 PM (ET) start on Saturday.