The Lawrence men’s and women’s soccer teams hosted Carroll College this past Saturday in the middle of a heated conference battle. The men opened up the day in third place, a point ahead of Carroll in the conference standings.The first half was a tough fight for both squads as sophomore goalie Steve Schnorr made five saves. The Vikings played hard, and at halftime the score remained 0-0. The Vikings looked poised to score early in the second half, creating a few chances immediately.
A Carroll counterattack slowed the Vikings momentum, as a cross and a quick volley past Schnorr gave Carroll a 1-0 lead. The Vikings continued fighting and putting shots on goal, but a questionable corner kick awarded to Carroll College gave them the opportunity to go ahead 2-0.
The men were unable to score due to a stubborn Carroll defense, and eventually fell by the final score of 2-0. The game got physical as it progressed and Lawrence made their presence known with three yellow cards, bringing their conference total up to 11. Still, as physical as the Vikings get, they have the fourth lowest number of cards in the conference.
The men have games left against Knox, St. Norbert’s and Grinnell. Their current record is 3-2-1. They have 10 points, which gives them a three-point cushion over Ripon and Beloit. Their season goal of a conference tournament berth will be determined by their play over the next two weeks of the season.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Lawrence women took the field against Carroll as well. The women were in for a fight against a Carroll team that was 5-0 in conference play, and their efforts on the field showed early in the game.
The first 25 minutes of the game were a struggle, as the Lawrence defense withstood a barrage of Carroll shots. Unfortunately, a lucky bounce off the crossbar opened the scoring for Carroll, and the momentum of the game shifted. Sophomore goalie Lindsey Ahlen had 11 saves on the day.
Freshman Annie Kaiser and Sarah Ehlinger led the team in shots on goal, but were unable to find the back of the net against a Carroll defense averaging only a goal a game against them. The Lady Vikings put up a fight, but the Carroll team eventually won 4-0.
The women now sit in seventh place with seven points, with home games remaining against Knox, St. Norbert’s and Grinnell.