The Lawrence University soccer teams started the Midwest Conference season off right with a sweep of Lake Forest College. They have not played as well in non-conference games, but much of this can be attributed to their opponents and not the Vikings. The women’s soccer team started off by losing a pair of games to Minnesota schools. The Vikings lost to a tough St. Benedict team 2-0 and St. Olaf 3-0, before facing nationally ranked University of Chicago. The Vikings could not find their scoring, losing to the Maroons 5-0. LU then returned home to open the Midwest Conference season against Lake Forest
The Foresters were the defending MWC champions, and posed a great threat to the Vikings. Lawrence played superbly in the rain, showing why they were voted the favorite to win the MWC by the coaches in the conference. The lone goal of the game came in the first half as Alyssa Spyksma put in Sara Compas’s corner kick to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.
The Vikings were tested many times in the second half by the potent Lake Forest offense, but goalkeeper Katie Wilkin was always on the doorstep for LU. She finished the game with seven saves for her first shutout of the year. The Vikings avenged their only loss of the season last year to the Foresters, who won 1-0 at home.
Tuesday, the Vikings defeated Edgewood College 1-0. Daria Bustanoby scored her first collegiate goal in the victory. Wilkin had nine saves in her shutout. This was the first win Lawrence had against Edgewood in seven meetings between the schools. The Viking women’s next game will be Sunday at another MWC contender, St. Norbert.
The men’s soccer team lost their first two games in heartbreakers. The men barely lost to Carleton College 1-0 and Benedictine University 3-2. The Vikings next faced a force in UW-Oshkosh, and came away losing that game 5-0.
The Men opened up conference play against the Foresters as well. The Foresters were last season’s conference champions, but for the second year in a row, it was all LU.
Adam Minor got the scoring rolling for the Vikings. He scored thirteen minutes into the game to put LU up 1-0. Elliott Spruell added his third goal of the year early in the second half to put the Vikings up 2-0. Then as time was running down, Minor put in his second goal of the game to put it away. The Vikings defeated Lake Forest 3-0.
For his efforts, Minor was named the MWC offensive player of the week. This was his first multi-goal game for the Vikings.
Also, for the second week in a row, LU goalkeeper Tom Murphy was named the MWC defensive player of the week. Murphy got his first shutout of the season by stopping thirteen Forester shots. Murphy received the award the previous week for stopping fifteen shots against a strong Carleton team.
The men will also play this weekend, facing Carroll College in Waukesha on Sunday afternoon.