NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Lawrence University fell to North Central College 9-7 on Wednesday night at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. The Vikings' two-goal effort in the fourth quarter was not enough to overcome the Cardinals' four-goal surge in the same quarter.

Lawrence opened the first quarter with a strong performance on the road against North Central. Joe McCabe found the net during a man-up opportunity at 5:36, giving the Vikings an early lead. Eamon Tegenfeldt-Pfo followed with a goal, extending the advantage. Emmett Eischens added to the scoreboard, securing a three-goal cushion for the visitors. Although the Cardinals managed to score near the end of the quarter, Lawrence maintained a 3-1 lead as the quarter concluded.

Truett Jones set the tone for the Vikings in the second quarter with a critical defensive play, causing turnovers early on that disrupted the Cardinals. Despite the visitors' defensive efforts, North Central capitalized with goals from Ty Nagy and Jack Blaylock, briefly taking the lead. However, the Vikings responded decisively with a man-down goal by Brody Herr at 2:02, leveling the score again. The quarter concluded with a 3-3 tie as Lawrence continued to press offensively, ending with a score of 4-3 in favor of the Vikings.

The third quarter saw the Vikings initially extend their lead with a goal by Robbie Spielmann at 13:44, capitalizing on a successful clear by Jones. However, North Central responded with two goals, including a pivotal score by Wyatt Hunt at 2:18, to tie the game. Despite the Vikings' efforts, including strong defensive saves from Tyler Graham, the quarter concluded with a 5-5 tie.

Lawrence started the fourth quarter with a faceoff victory by Cody Brekke and a ground ball recovery by Henry Hayes. However, a penalty on McCabe led to a man-up goal for the Cardinals, temporarily giving them the lead. The Vikings responded as Herr netted a goal at 9:11, leveling the score at 6-6. North Central regained momentum with two consecutive goals, widening the gap. Despite a strong effort by the Vikings, including another goal by Judah Goehring with 17 seconds remaining, the Cardinals held on with North Central picking up the win.