Looking for its first win over a ranked team this season, the No. 16 Washington University men’s soccer team established a 2-0 lead over No. 8 Wheaton College, but the Thunder rallied for a 3-2 overtime win in Wheaton, Ill. on Saturday.

After both teams had six shots in the first half, Wheaton outshot Wash. U. 28-5 for the remainder of the game en route to a 34-11 shot advantage. Senior goalkeeper Jonathan Jebson’s season-high eight saves weren’t enough to hold onto a victory for the Bears.

The game headed into overtime after two Wheaton goals in the second half knotted the score. The Thunder sustained their momentum in the extra frame, outshooting the Bears 4-0 and scoring a third consecutive goal in the 95th minute when Stephen Golz’s header went past Jebson.

The Red and Green dropped to 5-2-1 on the season.

Senior forward Jeremy Kirkwood put the Bears ahead in the 14th minute with his first goal of the season on a pass from sophomore midfielder Ike Witte. Wash. U. contained Wheaton’s high-octane attack and went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

“I thought the first half, we did a really good job defending as a team,” Jebson said. “Our coach gave us a good game plan going in, and our center midfielders did a good job.”

At the beginning of the second half, junior midfielder Jonathan Lipsey’s short goal doubled the lead for the Bears. On the play, Kirkwood recorded his fifth assist in just two games.

In the 59th minute, Wheaton’s offense finally broke through, when Noah Anthony’s free kick found the net and cut the Bears’ lead in half. About 20 minutes later, Reed Bartley tied it up for the Thunder on a rebound from a deflected header.

Wheaton held a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks and scored two of its three goals on set pieces. Kirkwood suggested that set pieces, along with relentless offensive pressure, played a large part in Wheaton’s come-from-behind win.

“We had a 2-0 lead, and we were trying to hold that,” Kirkwood said. “They pressured us really hard and generated a lot of fouls and got a lot of corner kicks, which gave us a lot of problems.”

Despite the loss, Jebson believes the Bears shouldn’t hang their heads.

“Everyone was definitely unhappy that we lost, but we know that it’s a sign for good things to come. We were on the road against a very good team and easily could’ve won the game,” he said. “It’s a good sign for the rest of our season as well as a good experience in an NCAA tournament-type game.”