The LU men’s soccer team continued last year’s unbeaten-in-home-conference-games streak this past weekend… in less than spectacular fashion. Nonetheless, the 2-2 draw with visiting Lake Forest that resulted of a topsy-turvy afternoon on the pitch shouldn’t be tossed aside as a failure.Lake Forest finished second in the conference last year and came to Whiting Field displaying great confidence and presence with the ball in the earlygoings of Saturday’s game. The Foresters controlled much of the play in the middle of the field and squandered no scoring opportunities in taking a 2-0 lead by the 37th minute. The Vikings’ slightly modified back four seemed to be in organizational disarray early on – further assisting Lake Forest’s attack.
Were it not for a scrummy goal by LU freshman Joe Sluhoski in the last minutes of the 44th minute, the half could have been put on the corner with the weekly garbage. The goal seemed to jettison the team out of its state of despondency in the second half.
The half started with a flurry of Viking scoring opportunities, which were all brilliantly turned away by Lake Forest goalkeeper Jake Elperine. Eventually, a brilliant through ball off the foot of Rodrigo Gomes to a freight train by the name of Adam Miner created a beautiful breakaway goal and evened the score, as it would remain through regulation and two overtime periods.
This team travels south this weekend with important early-season matches at Knox and Grinnell.