On Sunday, Oct. 20, the Vikings’ Women’s Soccer team played their “Senior Day” game at home against Mount Mary University.
Junior right back Jessica Smith opened the scoring in the eighth minute after a well-played ball by senior forward Cambrie Rickard. After 20 minutes of back-and-forth between the two teams, Lawrence found themselves up 2-0 thanks to a first career goal from first-year Violet Jeffers. Receiving a nicely-timed pass from senior Makenzy Dreher, Jeffers was able to place the ball beyond the keeper and into the back of the net.
The Vikings saw out the first half with quality possession before picking up the baton to score two quick-fire goals in the second half. Rickard notched her fourth and fifth goals of the season in a breathless five minutes after assistance from both senior Natalie Linebarger and sophomore Kylie Melonis, scoring in the 47th and 52nd minutes. Only three minutes later, senior midfielder Madi Jones bagged her second goal of this campaign after being played in by senior defender Maya Alberts. Now up 5-0 and cruising, the home team looked to entertain the 297-person crowd further by adding a sixth goal through Dreher, who was assisted by junior Erica Grube, as the clock ticked 60:16. Lawrence recorded a 22% conversion rate with their six goals from 27 shots. Their defending was also rather impressive, given the maintenance of a clean sheet that required zero saves over the two halves.
The Vikings’ eventual 6-0 victory was the biggest margin that they have won by this season. Their record now stands at 10-4-2 overall and 4-0-1 in conference. This victory leaves them at the top of the Midwest Conference table, with a 3-point gap over 2nd place Lake Forest College. With three conference games remaining, including a final home showdown against fellow top four contender Grinnell College, Lawrence will be looking to win a Regular Season Championship before entering the Midwest Conference Tournament. The celebrated seniors of today will be feeling very confident about the team’s chances in the latter stages of this NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer season as they call to a close their collegiate careers.