The Washington University men’s soccer team continued its dominant defensive play with a 3-0 victory against Illinois Wesleyan University Friday night. With the shutout, the No. 12 Bears have held opponents scoreless in through their first five games of the season, marking their longest such streak since 2008.

That milestone was threatened in the 27th minute, when a header from the Titans was redirected at the last moment by senior midfielder Grant Baltes. That would be the scariest moment for the Bears all night, however, as the Red and Green would outshoot the Titans 19-4 with Illinois Wesleyan providing just the one shot on goal.

Senior Corey Meehan fights a Luther College player for the ball in a game on Sept. 18, 2016. The Bears defeated Luther 4-0.

In the 33rd minute, head coach Joe Clarke decided to substitute in senior forward Beau McGinley for Baltes.

“It seemed like a good game for Beau to come on because their backline was pretty high, and our wingers were getting isolated,” Clarke said. “And he’s very fast.”

Fast indeed. McGinley’s pace punished the Titans’ defense, and the Bears never looked back. A bad tackle in the box on graduate student Jack West allowed fellow graduate student Ike Witte to take the penalty and score in the 42nd minute.

Just three minutes into the second half, the team forced an own goal to double their lead. The return of sophomore Ryan Sproule from a brief non-serious injury suffered in the first half pressed the defense back further, and the Titans only managed brief forays onto the Bears’ half of the field. In the 87th minute, sophomore midfielder-forward hybrid Eddie Wintergalen scored a loose ball in the box to complete the score to 3-0. The Bears defense that was so potent in the first half clamped down even further and prevented the Titans from mustering even a single shot.

Seniors Nick Tannenbaum and Daniel Geanon each took a half in goal.

“I think we have been okay,” Clarke said of the Bears early season performance. “We are playing hard, and we are getting back when we need to get back—that is the real key. We haven’t worked too hard on double teams, and there’s times where our forward line has to pressure better in conjunction with the players behind them.”

Despite the humble reply, the Bears still have a lot going right as they move into the tougher part of their schedule. Conference play fast approaches and the UAA currently features four teams in the top-25. That includes No. 10 University of Rochester whom the Bears will travel to face Saturday, Oct. 1. But before that marquee matchup, the Red and Green have to head across the Mississippi to face Greenville College Monday night.