APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University women's soccer team handed Ripon College a 1-0 Midwest Conference shutout on Wednesday night on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.
    The win gives Lawrence 16 points in the conference standings and solidifies the Vikings' place in the four-team league tournament. The Vikings will finish no lower than third in the standings. Lawrence completes regular-season play on Saturday with the final MWC match at Grinnell College.
    Lawrence dominated the match from the start and improved to 6-5-3 overall and 5-1-1 in the conference. The Vikings snapped off 27 shots against the Red Hawks, and Ripon managed just one shot, which came in the second half and went into the side of the net.
    The Vikings scored early in the second half on a play that started with Sophia Gaus sending a ball in on Ripon goalkeeper Andreanna Wilke. The ball was still loose in the box when Kyle Melonis pounced and sent it into the back of the net at the 56:38 mark for a 1-0 lead. It was Melonis' fourth goal of the season for the Vikings.
    Wilke finished with 10 saves for Ripon, and Audri Klionsky wasn't forced to make a save to pick up the shutout. 
    This marks the third consecutive season that Lawrence has beaten Ripon via shutout. Ripon hasn't scored a goal against the Vikings since the 2019 season.