The Lawrence University men’s soccer team has had their fair share of close games this season, but unfortunately for the Vikings, they did not come out on top in many of those games.
Their last game of the season ended in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of UW-Superior last Saturday. The Vikings once again played well enough to keep the game close, but they simply could not find a way to win as they fell to 1-3 in games decided by one goal.
Junior forward Bennett Pang said, “It was definitely disappointing. We have so much talent that we didn’t put to good use. Our record easily could have been over .500 if we had just a couple breaks go our way.”
Lawrence outshot UW-Superior 6-5, but only three of those shots were on goal and none got past Yellowjacket goalkeeper Tom Fitzer.
UW-Superior’s goal came in the 36th minute when Thomas Shuldheisz threaded a ball inside the box to Ben Mooney, who put it past Viking goalkeeper Andrew Finley. The Vikings had four shots in the second half to the Yellowjackets’ one, but they were unable to mount a comeback.
The Vikings finish the season at 1-4-4 in conference play despite only being outscored by their opponents 15-12.
Only two Vikings will graduate this year: defenders Nico Walker and T.J. Frett. Both were part of a defensive core that allowed only 1.5 goals per game this season. Frett was also named to the ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-District second team for his strong performance in both academics and athletics.
The Vikings finished with an overall record of 3-9-5 and look to improve next year with a strong core of young players returning.
Men’s soccer ends season with a loss
