The Lawrence University women’s soccer team’s history making season ended with a loss to sixth-ranked Willamette University Bearcats on Nov. 3. They defeated Lawrence 5-0 in the Midwest Region semifinals of the NCAA III championships.Willamette scored two early goals, forward Nicole Dahl and forward Anne Merten scoring in the first thirteen minutes, which effectively ended the game as a contest. Dahl opened the scoring at the 10:54 mark with Merten scoring the second goal barely two minutes later, off an assist from midfielder Buffy Morris.
The Bearcats then made it 3-0 on an unassisted goal by substitute Cayly Christensen, just after the half hour mark. Willamette added two more goals early in the second half to complete the scoring with scores by substitutes Samantha Lantz and Ashley Holmer.
The Vikings were outshot 49-2, with one shot on goal.
Despite the loss, this season marks the most successful season in school history. Lawrence’s 13 victories set a school record, and the Vikings’ 2-1 win in the first round of the NCAA tournament marked the first victory in an NCAA tournament game.
The Vikings won their first eight conference games of the season, finishing with an 8-1 record, and tied for best in the Midwest Conference League. Lake Forest robbed them of the MWC title on the basis of a statistical tiebreaker, having beaten the Vikings in the regular season.
Lawrence’s second place finish ensured their second consecutive trip to the MWC championship. LU vanquished Grinnell and St. Norbert on the way to the title. This set the stage for the Vikings’ historic and record breaking first round victory over Aurora in the NCAA Division III Championships.