Box Score

LISLE, Ill. - The regionally ranked Benedictine University men's soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to the top team in the region, eighth-ranked Wheaton College, on Thursday night.

"Tonight we were beat by the better team on the pitch," head coach Rich Nassif said. "Wheaton is a national contender every year and it is evident why. Their midfield certainly controlled the game and forced us to defend for long stretches. I would have liked to see us play with more patience and composure on the ball but they made it very difficult for us to get any consistent rhythm. The first goal was an absolute brilliant strike and the second goal was well taken too. Sometimes you simply get beat by the better team and that was the case tonight."

Wheaton controlled possession for a majority of the match, but the Benedictine back line held fast and limited quality chances. The visiting Thunder were able to strike in the 21st minute on a straight shot from 30 yards out. Jonny Lehman, who scored twice in a win on Tuesday, had a good look late in the half but Wheaton was able to make the save.

Benedictine had a corner kick early in the second half, but after failing to convert, Wheaton countered five minutes later to extend the advantage on a similar goal to the first, a deep blast from dead on target. The Eagles had a quick counter but were again held off the board on save of an Anes Kadiric attempt.

Wheaton held a 19-3 advantage in shots. Zorohn Reed stopped five shots in goal, helping keep Benedictine within striking distance. The match was a makeup from a contest in September that was postponed due to rain.

"We were dealt some adversity tonight and could not figure out how to bounce back," Nassif added. "We schedule these top notch teams for a reason; mainly to measure up against and see where we can still make strides. We will take the lessons learned from tonight's match, put the work into tomorrow's training, and make sure we continue our positive momentum in a very important NACC match against Lakeland this Saturday."

Benedictine (7-6-1) will host Lakeland on Saturday afternoon.