CHICAGO – The University of Chicago men's soccer team broke out offensively and held on in the final minutes to secure a 3-2 home victory over Wheaton College on Saturday night.

The No. 4-ranked Maroons improved to 2-0 while the Thunder dropped to 1-1.

UChicago had the better scoring chances throughout the first half, holding a 9-3 shot advantage on a muggy and breezy night on the Stagg Field turf. The Maroons collected four corner kicks as well and had some good runs on goal, but couldn't seem to find the finishing touch to convert those forays.

The visitors had a sure goal snatched away from them with 4:29 left in the first half. A free kick from 40 yards found Drew Beamer sneaking behind the Maroon defense and delivering a point-blank header in front. However, junior goalkeeper Will Boyes made an amazing reaction save to push the attempt over the bar.

Two minutes later, UChicago delivered a gut punch to Wheaton on the other end. Sophomore Lyndon Hu's free kick from distance was batted back out to him, and he launched another cross into the box from 30 yards out on the right wing. The ball perfectly found the head of junior Nathan Moonesinghe, who deftly placed a header inside the right post.

The Maroons took that 1-0 lead into halftime and the momentum surge continued into the second half. In the 62nd minute, first-year Patrick Lin intercepted a pass and immediately booted it over the Wheaton defense. Junior Robbie Pino got a running start on the play, tracked the ball down on the right side of the box and centered to the oncoming Kai Walsh. The Maroon rookie knocked the ball past the goalie in stride for his first collegiate goal to make it 2-0.

The third UChicago score came eight minutes later. Senior Michael Johnson and Naz Kabbani played a nice little give-and-go to each other that ended with Johnson blasting the ball into the right corner of the netting from 24 yards.

Despite the sizable deficit, Wheaton made things interesting. A bit of luck went the visitors' way in the 74th minute when a bouncing cross in the box pinged up into a Maroon defender's arm. The hand ball call awarded the Thunder with a penalty kick that they converted. Then with 75 seconds remaining, Wheaton corralled a loose ball and struck an impressive curler into the upper right 90 from 20 yards away.

UChicago put an end to any hopes of a tie by controlling the ball for the final minute without any further drama. The Maroons have now won 25 of their past 30 home contests for an .867 winning percentage since the start of 2017.  

The home side held sway in shots (17-11) and corner kicks (8-1). Boyes made four saves between the pipes with two goals allowed.

NEXT GAME:

• Wednesday, Sept. 7 @ 7:00 PM – Concordia Chicago at UChicago