Washington U. Men’s Soccer Suffers First Loss to No. 8 Wheaton

BOX SCORE

St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 21, 2012 – The No. 9-ranked Washington University in St. Louis men’s soccer team was shutout for just the second time this season as No. 8 Wheaton College earned a 3-0 win to hand the Bears their first loss of the season on Friday night.

Wheaton came out aggressively in the opening minutes of the match, keeping the pressure on the Washington U. defense. Already with a 4-1 advantage in shots, the Thunder were able to kick one just over junior Jonathan Jebson and into the net to take a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute. Less than two minutes later, Wheaton struck again when a cross by Adam Blackman was deflected into the Bears’ net to put the Thunder on top, 2-0. Wheaton added another goal in the 55th minute to make the score 3-0.

The Bears had a couple of scoring opportunities in the second half, including a header shot by freshman Ike Witte that went just outside the post. Overall, Wheaton outshot Washington U. 16-7 in the match, including 6-2 in shots on goal. Jebson (5-1-1) surrendered two goals in just more than 38 minutes in goal for the Bears as he took the loss. Junior Michael McCarthy played the final 52 minutes in goal for Washington U., allowing one goal, while recording three saves.

Washington University (5-1-1) returns to action at Fontbonne University on Wednesday, Sept. 26. The Bears and Griffins are set to square off at 7 p.m. at Gay Field in Clayton, Mo.

BEAR NOTEBOOK: The Bears dropped to 11-16-4 all-time against Wheaton … Wheaton’s first goal snapped a 450-minute scoreless streak for Washington U. defensively this season.