APPLETON, Wis. — Ava Elders delivered the breakthrough in the closing minutes Saturday as the Lawrence University women's soccer team continued its unbeaten start with a 1-0 victory over Augustana College at Banta Bowl.
With the match still scoreless and less than two minutes remaining, Kylie Melonis helped create the decisive opportunity. Melonis found Elders, who converted at 88:04 for her second goal of the season and sent the Vikings in front for good.
The late strike capped a patient performance from Lawrence, which controlled 69 percent of the possession but had to work throughout the afternoon to break down the Augustana defense. The teams finished even with six shots apiece, four shots on goal apiece and two corner kicks each.
Augustana applied the majority of its offensive pressure in the opening half, but Claire Brockhert kept the match level. Brockhert stopped Mary Baker in the sixth minute before making saves on Skylar Swanson, Alyssa Mowry and Allison Gibeau later in the half.
Lawrence created chances of its own before the break. Sieanna Sandor forced a save in the 11th minute, and Melonis put another effort on target in the 22nd. Izzy Robertson also had an attempt blocked as the Vikings continued to search for an opening.
The Lawrence defense completely shut down the Augustana attack after halftime, holding the visitors without a single shot over the final 45 minutes. That allowed the Vikings to continue pushing forward for the winner.
Elders came close to breaking the deadlock in the 59th minute when her first shot on goal was saved. Melonis then sent an attempt wide in the 82nd before the pair combined for the decisive goal just over six minutes later.
Elders finished with two shots, both on goal, while Melonis recorded two shots and the assist on the game-winner. Sandor also put her lone attempt on target.
Brockhert completed the shutout with four saves and improved to 2-0-0 in goal. Lawrence improved to 4-0-3 overall with the victory, keeping the Vikings unbeaten through their first seven matches.
