APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence women's soccer team battled Luther College through 90 minutes of hard-fought action Wednesday night at the Banta Bowl, with neither side able to find the back of the net as the Vikings and Norse played to a 0-0 draw.
Lawrence created several quality chances throughout the match, putting five shots on target while holding Luther to just two. The Vikings also controlled 58 percent of possession and earned four corner kicks compared to one for the Norse.
The Vikings came out aggressively in the opening half, putting three of their four first-half shots on target. Kylie Melonis, Kate Noonan and Hannah Kalt each forced saves from Luther goalkeeper Rylie Bucklin during the opening 15 minutes, while Jordan Frank added another attempt that went just wide later in the half.
At the other end, Lawrence goalkeeper  Bee Brockhert kept the Norse off the scoreboard, making a save on Riley Anderson late in the opening half to send the teams into the break scoreless.
The second half remained a back-and-forth battle as Lawrence continued to pressure the Luther defense. Kalt, Melonis and Kylie Grimes each recorded chances early in the period, while Melonis forced another save in the 78th minute and Kalt followed with another shot that was turned away moments later.
Luther had an opportunity of its own late in the second half, but Brockhert stood tall in goal, making a save on Kate Van Deventer to preserve the shutout.
Lawrence continued to push for the game-winner in the closing minutes. Frank sent a shot high in the 89th minute, but the Luther defense held firm as the match ended in a scoreless draw.
Kalt led the Vikings with three shots, including two on target, while Melonis added two shots on goal. Noonan also put a shot on target, and Brockhert finished with two saves to earn the shutout.
The Vikings finished with a 9-3 advantage in shots and a 5-2 edge in shots on goal, but neither team could find the decisive breakthrough in a tightly contested 90 minutes at the Banta Bowl.Â
