Liz Seeley goes up for the header against Grinnell. Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Fye (mackenzie fye)
The Lady Vikings soccer team
hosted Grinnell and Knox in a
Midwest Conference doubleheader
last weekend, winning both to move
into a tie for sixth place.
Grinnell and Lawrence both came
ready to play Saturday. The first
half was dominated by the Lawrence
offense, which outshot Grinnell 14-4.
However, Lawrence gave up a goal
on a 17th-minute corner kick and
Grinnell goalie Laura McElroy kept
the Vikes off the board for the first
40 minutes.
The Viking’s overall dominance
finally showed on up on the scoreboard
in the 40th minute, when Ellie
Galvin played in a ball to Mallory
Koula, who finished to notch her
13th goal of the season. After trailing
for over 20 minutes, the Vikings
went into halftime with a tied score
and came out ready to step up their
efforts in the second half.
Less than a minute after kickoff,
Mallory Koula assisted Cadence
Peckham for her first career goal.
Peckham’s goal would prove to be
the game winner as a frustrated
Grinnell side could not get the ball
past Lawrence goalie Ariana Flood.
Liz Seeley was able to bury the
Pioneers in the 85th minute with a
strike off of a pass from Galvin.
Lawrence’s win was its first over
Grinnell since a Midwest Conference
tournament semifinal in 2001. While
the Grinnell players had every right
to be aggrieved as they headed to
the locker room after the match, the
Vikings were certainly pleased, as
they had ended two weeks of poor
results.
The Lady Vikes continued their
offensive dominance into Sunday
when they took on the Knox Prairie
Fire. A noticeably weaker side, Knox
could not handle the likes of the
Viking midfield and forwards. Galvin
struck quickly, scoring in the seventh
minute to get things rolling.
Over the course of the game,
Lawrence annihilated the Knox back
line, forcing 17 saves by Knox goalie
Alex Rauland. Despite Rauland’s
efforts, Koula netted a hat-trick in
the first half, bringing her season
total of goals scored to 16. Galvin
assisted Koula twice, and Sarah
Ehlinger assisted her once more just
before the break.
Defenders Celesta Kirk, Alyssa
Onan, Amanda Follett and Jordan
Holmes did well to stop the few
efforts Knox had to shoot. Because
of the back line’s excellent play,
Lawrence goalie Ariana Flood completed
the shutout while making
only one save.
While the Vikings would not
score in the second half, their firsthalf
efforts were enough for a 4-0
victory.
Mallory Koula was named
Midwest Conference Offensive Player
of the Week for the second time. Her
four goals and one assist in the two
matches were cited as having proved
vital to Lawrence’s pair of wins.
The Lady Vikes host a nonconference
match Wednesday versus
Mount Mary College and will travel to
Illinois College and Monmouth over
the weekend, though they will need
to avoid a loss in the state of Illinois
in order to stay in the hunt for a spot
in the conference tournament.
C. J. Kirk clears the ball up the field. Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Fye (mackenzie fye)
Liz Seeley goes up for the header against Grinnell. Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Fye (mackenzie fye)
C. J. Kirk clears the ball up the field. Photo courtesy of Mackenzie Fye (mackenzie fye)