The Lawrence women’s soccer team had a run of dominance in the past two weeks, but it came to an abrupt end Sunday as the Lake Forest Foresters beat them 4-0.
During midweek play, Lawrence hosted Lakeland College in a non-conference matchup. Carrying the momentum of 14 goals from the previous two matches, the Vikings scored early as a 15th-minute corner kick from Jordan Holmes found sophomore Mallory Koula, who tucked away the first goal of the match.
Koula added an assist to her score line 10 minutes later, when she linked up with Sarah Ehlinger for Ehlinger’s seventh goal of the season.
An old saying says that teams are at their most vulnerable in the five minutes after a goal is scored, and the Vikes proved the saying true four minutes later. Cadence Peckham fed a ball in from the left wing to Koula, who beat the defender and shot home her 12th goal of the season. With 12 goals, Koula currently ranks fourth among Midwest Conference players.
Leading 3-0 at the half did not stop the Vikings from continuing their dominance of the match, out-shooting Lakeland 9-5 in the second half to bring the final shot count to 30-10 in Lawrence’s favor.
Substitute Marcia Silveira added to the rout with the first multi-goal game of her career, scoring her first on a 71st-minute pass by Ellie Galvin. Silveira netted herself a brace in the 82nd minute after a smooth combination by Peckham and Holmes on the left wing.
The Vikings traveled to Lake Forest Saturday for their second Midwest Conference match. The Foresters brought pressure to the Vikings early, exploiting a goalkeeping error seven minutes into the match.
Only two minutes later, a quick Lake Forest combination drew goalkeeper Lindsay Ahlen off her line and Foresters forward Lisa Sorensen gave her team a 2-0 lead.
The Vikings’ defense could not stop Lake Forest’s quick-moving attack, which was tied for first in goals in the Midwest Conference before the game. The Foresters struck again in the 29th minute with yet another combination around the Lawrence defenders. At the half, the score stood at an ominous 3-0.
After the break, however, Lawrence picked up its tempo and was able to move the ball well into the attacking third of the field. However, the Vikings’ spirits were once again deflated as the Foresters tucked away their fourth goal in the 53rd minute.
The Vikings battled on even though gaining a good result from the match was out of reach, outshooting Lake Forest 8-6 in the second half.
The Lady Vikes hope to revive their potent offense Saturday, when they entertain Carroll University at 3 p.m.
Women’s soccer scoring spree ends at Lake Forest
