GALESBURG, Ill. -- The Lawrence University men's soccer team hung with top seed Knox College well into the second half Friday at the Midwest Conference Tournament before the pendulum finally swung in favor of the Prairie Fire.
    Knox got a penalty kick at the 63-minute mark and converted before going on to a 3-0 victory over the Vikings in the tournament semifinal at Jorge Prats Field.
    "We were well in it for 65 minutes and gave up a handball," Lawrence coach Will Greer said. "A little deflating, changed the way we wanted to play. I thought the guys put in maximum heart and effort, and it just didn't fall our way but we had some chances."
    The handball resulted in a penalty kick goal by Joey Dorgan for a 1-0 lead. Knox (11-6-0) struck again quickly after a corner kick when Luis Silva scored at 68:15. The Prairie Fire then scored again in the 81st minute on a goal by Lucas Piqueras.
    Lawrence goalkeeper Hunter Lanton was credited with three saves, including pair of spectacular stops. Nicolas Lantzendorffer picked up the shutout for Knox.
    "Sean (McLaughlin) was a monster again today, put in a great effort and was all over the field," Greer said. "I'm really proud of how hard they fought, and Hunter made some great saves in there."
    Lanton is one of the few seniors for the Vikings (8-11-0), who return 21 players from a team that made the conference tournament for the first time since 2011. It's worth noting that the Vikings played with the league's second-leading scorer, rookie Konstantinos Fardellas, who was injured in the regular season finale.
    "The guys played with great class and showed that they belonged and will be here again and again," Greer said. "They left it all on the field."