Women’s soccer hope to benefit from recent defeatsIn their first few games, the Women’s Soccer team faced highly ranked regional teams University of Chicago and UW-Stevens Point.
The results were not favorable. The Vikings lost 8-0 and 8-1 respectively, but the experienced gained from the stiff competition was evident in subsequent games.
They defeated Edgewood 4-0 and won the first conference game of the year against Beloit 3-1.
The most recent game was held this past Sunday at Whiting Field against Carroll, picked by MWC coaches to finish first in the conference.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first half, the Lady Vikes took the lead through a 40-yard goal from junior Jaime Nodarse that was just out of the goalkeeper’s reach.
The second goal was scored following a brilliant sequence involving freshman Annemarie Exharos, junior Emily Buzicky, and junior Greta Raaen, who redirected Buzicky’s cross past the keeper and into the back of the net with a little over 10 minutes left in the game.
The Vikings were unable to hold Carroll, and they equalized four minutes later.
The first overtime period started with both teams pushing forward, but Carroll managed to grab the win with a goal only two minutes into overtime and hand the Vikings a heartbreaking loss.
Though recent injuries have reduced the squad, they still look set to once again advance to the conference tournament at the end of the season.
First win eludes Viking football team
The Viking football team hopes to get back on track this year after a disappointing season last year.
They are getting off to a slow start. The Vikings lost their first game to the Illinois College Blueboys, 22-12.
They also lost last week’s non-conference game against Macalester.
Macalester led 30-13 before the Vikings closed the deficit to 30-25 with a pair of touchdowns, but it was not enough.
The attempted onsides kick in the last minute of the game was recovered by Macalester, securing their win.
Six turnovers, including five interceptions and a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, proved to be Lawrence’s downfall in the tightly contested match.
Despite the early losses, there are several players who inspire optimism. Senior wide receiver Zach Michael holds a number of Lawrence records. Running back Justin Berrens has had 11 100-yard-plus games, seven of which were consecutive. Freshman running back Adrell Bullock is ranked 23rd in the nation in kickoff return yards.
The defense has improved much over last year and is led by senior strong safety Ned Conners and freshman linebacker Scott Caroen.
Returning stars look to lead cross country
The Women’s cross country team looks set to place high in conference this year, based on the return of senior Courtney Miller, who was injured last year, and senior Jess Moser, who was off campus.
Freshman Collene Detjens has also been a strong presence thus far and will only continue to improve.
Junior Kelly Scheer and sophomore Rachel Lucas round out the top five for the women, with junior Jamie Marincic and senior Allie Dietsche close behind.
Freshman Phil Keith leads a men’s team that is severely lacking in numbers. With only four regular runners, they have to rely on a “ghost runner” to get necessary points for a full team of five, or in some cases they do not get a team score.
Despite the absence of runners, the existing four have placed well in the three meets thus far. The most important change for the cross country team is the appointment of former UW-Oshkosh star Lee Watson as head coach. Watson hopes to bring new insight to add to the current success of both the men’s and women’s teams.
Volleyball looks to find consistency
So far the Lady Vikes Volleyball team hasn’t found a steady rhythm. They are currently 4-7.
None of those games include conference, however, and they hope to establish some consistency come Sept. 27 and 28 when Beloit hosts the MWC crossover tournament.
This will be a chance for the Vikings to show the conference competition what to expect when conference games begin.
The team has played challenging games against many of the UW schools, and that experience should show when they play lesser teams.
Seniors Jenny Burris, Melissa Batog, and Shannon Arendt provide leadership to the team, while six freshmen provide the necessary depth. The volleyball team continues to attract large crowds, with almost 250 people attending the last game against Edgewood College. The Vikings comfortably won that game 3-0.