Wheaton women's soccer earns national title, men finish second

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- For the second time in three seasons, the Wheaton women's soccer team can call themselves national champions after a 2-0 victory over the College of New Jersey gave the Thunder the NCAA Division III title for the first time since 2004.

On the men's side, Wheaton was downed 3-0 in the national championship game to Messiah, ending legendary coach Joe Bean's career with a runner-up finish.

Women's soccer head coach Pete Felske and his team finished the season 24-2 after the win over TCNJ. Sarah Richardson scored both goals for the Thunder at 15:27 and 39:47 on assists from Maria Della Torre and Taryne Lee respectively. The Thunder did not allow a goal in its six NCAA Tournament games, beating Aurora 2-0, Macalester 3-0, UW-Eau Claire 2-0, Hardin Simmons 3-0 and Virginia Wesleyan 2-0 to get to the final game.

Felske and Co. earned their second national title after taking home the championship in 2004. College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) teams have now accounted for 32 NCAA Division III national championships in the conference's 60-year history. The Wheaton win was the third for women's sports. Along with the two Thunder soccer titles, the Millikin women's basketball team won the national championship during the 2004-05 season. The 1983 and 1985 Elmhurst volleyball team and the 1983 North Central women's basketball team won national titles before the CCIW began sponsoring women's athletics.

Bean finishes his career with 607 wins, giving him the most for any collegiate soccer coach. The Thunder finished their season with a record of 16-8-4, including a nine-game unbeaten streak heading into the championship against Messiah.

Bean won two national titles during his 38 seasons at Wheaton including 1984 and 1997 and a runner-up finish in 1999. Felske was a player for Bean on the 1984 team that won it all.

After finishing the conference season in third place, the Thunder got on a role and won the conference tournament with a 3-0 win over Augustana in the championship game to earn the CCIW's automatic qualifier. Wheaton defeated Washington University in St. Louis 1-0 in the opening round, then topped Redlands 4-1 the next day. In the sectional opener, the Thunder came out on top 2-1 over Wartburg, then tied York (Pa.) 0-0, but won 3-2 in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals. The Thunder picked up a 1-0 win over Ohio Wesleyan to earn the right to play Messiah.