APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University women's soccer team rallied for a pair of late goals Tuesday night to defeat an upset-minded Knox College squad 2-1 in a Midwest Conference Tournament quarterfinal at the Banta Bowl. Kate Noonan converted a penalty kick to tie the match before Ava Elders delivered the game-winner in the 87th minute to send the Vikings back to the conference semifinals.
Knox struck first in the seventh minute when Analeis Ming finished a pass from Eliana Juarez to give the Prairie Fire an early 1-0 advantage. Lawrence controlled much of the opening half, outshooting Knox 17-3 and earning seven corner kicks, but Knox goalkeeper Bri Mahoney kept the Vikings off the scoreboard with eight first-half saves.
Lawrence continued to generate opportunities after the break, putting 14 more shots toward goal while limiting Knox to no shots in the second half. The Vikings finally broke through in the 85th minute when Noonan converted a penalty kick to even the match at 1-1.
Just 2:41 later, Lawrence found the go-ahead goal. On a corner kick from Hannah Kalt, Elders rose to meet the delivery and headed the ball into the net in the 87th minute, giving the Vikings their first lead of the night and ultimately securing the 2-1 victory.
Elders led Lawrence with six shots, including three on target, while Noonan finished with three shots and the game-tying penalty kick. Kylie Melonis and Ava Bedan also recorded six shots apiece as the Vikings finished with a commanding 31-3 advantage in shots and a 13-2 edge in corner kicks.
The victory improves Lawrence to 12-2-5 overall and sends the Vikings back to the Midwest Conference Tournament semifinals. Lawrence will face Lake Forest College on Friday, November 6, in Decorah, Iowa, with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m.
