The Highlights

Scores, news and more from Lawrence University Athletics

Lakeland scores late to tip Vikings

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lakeland College men’s soccer team scored in the 85th minute and held on for a 3-2 nonconference win over Lawrence University on Wednesday at Whiting Field West.

Renan Asato scored off a pass from Farouk Dadzie at the 84:52 mark to break a 2-2 tie. Dadzie scored both of the other goals for the Muskies (3-1-1).

Lawrence (1-3-1) took a 1-0 lead on Erik Soderlund’s goal just 1:49 into the match as Michael Deremo picked up the assist. After Dadzie tied it at 34:44, Deremo scored off a pass from Chris Kiehl at 50:03 to give Lawrence a 2-1 edge. Dadzie tied it again at 58:42.

Joe Krivit made eight saves for Lawrence, which enjoyed a 22-17 edge in shots. Austin Ganzke stopped 11 shots for the Muskies.

Box score

Inside LU Athletics: More efficient Vikings off to good start

Count Matt Schoultz as a believer in the old adage that less is more.

The Lawrence University volleyball coach saw his roster trimmed to 12 players this season through four graduation losses and three others who chose not to return.

“Keeping everyone more involved is a lot easier,” said Schoultz, who is in his eighth season at Lawrence. “We were at 18 the last couple of years. Trying to keep all 18 on the same page and involved was challenging at times.

“Everyone is getting a lot more touches and practicing a lot more. Our practices are a lot more efficient.”

In addition to a better practice regimen, team chemistry has also improved with fewer players on the squad. Schoultz credits his five seniors, setters Diane McLeod and Kate Rosenbalm, libero Kathleen Rowland and hitters Taylor Tomaszewski and Lily Heun.

“Our seniors are doing a really good job of being leaders,” Schoultz said. “It helps having a setter (McLeod) who’s a leader. She’s been through it and is running our offense really well.”

The Vikings are off to a 3-3 start and that includes three matches against top-25 caliber teams in UW-Whitewater, UW-Oshkosh and Carthage.

“The first weekend was very challenging. We played some very good teams,” Schoultz said. “To be .500 at this point with some of the teams we’ve played puts us right where we expected to be.”

The Vikings are having success due to the mix of outstanding play from the seniors and the group of young players on the squad.

“Most of our offense is back from last year and our setter (McLeod) and libero (Rowland) are back. We had some holes to fill, and we’ve had some others step up, especially the sophomore group,” Schoultz said. “A lot of them got a lot of playing time last year. They’re definitely picking up where they left off last year and building on that.”

That was evident in this week’s Midwest Conference player of the week awards. Sophomore outside hitter Terese Swords was named the offensive player of the week after hitting .380 in Lawrence’s two matches, both wins, last week. Rowland was named the defensive player of the week after picking up 51 digs and recording season highs in both digs (29) and service aces (5) in the Vikings’ wins over Wisconsin Lutheran and MSOE.

Sophomore Megan Conley is currently leading the team at 2.33 kills per set and is second at 0.52 blocks per set. Swords is second on the squad at 2.29 kills per set, and junior Betsy Sorensen is third at 1.65. Sorensen also leads the team at 0.60 blocks per set. Sophomore Andrea Wilkinson and junior Kayla Storm are also averaging nearly a kill per set.

“If we stay healthy, this group is really hard-working, and they have the right attitudes. I think this group could really surprise some people in the conference,” said Schoultz, whose team was picked to finish ninth in the MWC. “I could see our team finishing a lot higher if we continue the work ethic we have.”

Closing in

Rowland is closing in on Lawrence’s career digs record, which Jenny Burris set at 1,908 from 2000-03. Rowland has 1,732 digs and is just 177 shy of breaking Burris’ mark.

Moving up

Lawrence quarterback Luke Barthelmess tossed a touchdown pass in the season opener at Cornell last Saturday and now has 49 for his career. He needs one more touchdown pass to tie Eric Aspenson (2003-05, 2007) for second place on the career list. Lawrence Hall of Famer and All-American Jim Petran is the career leader with 59.

Youth movement

The Lawrence men’s soccer team lost six senior starters to graduation and another starter to injury so the Vikings have been forced into a bit of a youth movement this fall.

Lawrence is starting five freshmen and junior Erik Soderlund, who is in his first season with the soccer team. The last time Lawrence started five freshmen was 2003, and that team finished 9-6-2 and took fourth place in the conference. The 2003 team started a run of three consecutive appearances by the Vikings in the MWC Tournament.

Editor’s Note: Inside LU Athletics is a notes package written by Lawrence University Director of Athletic Media Relations Joe Vanden Acker. It will feature teams and individual players, recap weekly awards or highlights and take a look at what’s ahead for the Vikings.

Lawrence sweeps MWC weekly volleyball honors

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University volleyball team swept the Midwest Conference Player of the Week honors.

Sophomore Terese Swords (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) was the Offensive Player of the Week, and senior Kathleen Rowland (Champaign, Ill./Central) was the Defensive Player of the Week.

Swords, a sophomore outside hitter, hit .380 and piled up 30 kills in two matches. In a 3-1 victory at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Swords had 20 kills and only one attack error in 38 attempts for an impressive .500 hitting percentage.

In the other other match at the MSOE Triangular, a 3-1 Lawrence victory over Wisconsin Lutheran College, Swords had 10 kills and a solid .242 hitting percentage. She also added eight digs and a pair of blocks in the two matches.

Rowland, a senior defensive specialist, piled up 51 digs in the two matches at the MSOE Triangular. In the win over Wisconsin Lutheran, Rowland had a season-high 29 digs and added a season-high five service aces. Rowland then picked up 22 digs and had a pair of service aces in Lawrence’s win over MSOE.

Lawrence is 3-3 on the season and returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to the UW-Oshkosh Quadrangular.

Marian slips past Lawrence in overtime

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — The Marian University men’s soccer team scored on a penalty kick in overtime to pull out a 2-1 nonconference victory over Lawrence University on Sunday night.

David Reinke scored on the penalty kick at 95:05 to end the match. Reinke had scored a goal at 51:22 to tie the match at 1-1.

Lawrence got on the board first when Michael Deremo scored off a pass from Erik Soderlund at 35:28 to give the Vikings a 1-0 edge.

Box score

Lawrence rolls past Sabres

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University women’s tennis team rolled to an 8-1 nonconference victory on Sunday over Marian University at the Lawrence Courts.

Lawrence (3-4) swept the doubles matches and took five of the six singles contests.

The Vikings had a pair of shutouts in doubles, with Ali Heiring and Hannah Geoffrey winning 8-0 at No. 1 and Allison Juda and Cathryn Wood doing the same at No. 3.

Elana Lambert highlighted the singles victories with a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6. Gayatri Malhotra (No. 1), Dalton (No. 2), Juda (No. 4) and Brenna Decker (No. 5) were also winners in singles for the Vikings.

Lawrence University 8, Marian University 1

 Singles competition
1. Gayatri Malhotra (LU) def. Goyke, Ann (MU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Polly Dalton (LU) def. Hartzell, Brynn (MU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Cords, Robyn (MU) def. Melissa Heeren (LU) 6-4, 7-6 (11-9)
4. Allison Juda (LU) def. Stoffell, Rachel (MU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Brenna Decker (LU) def. Spannbauer, Melissa (MU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Elana Lambert (LU) def. Lyons, Ahtyanna (MU) 6-0, 6-0

 Doubles competition
1. Hannah Geoffrey/Ali Heiring (LU) def. Goyke, Ann/Hartzell, Brynn (MU) 8-0
2. Gayatri Malhotra/Polly Dalton (LU) def. Stoffell, Rachel/Spannbauer, Melissa (MU) 8-4
3. Allison Juda/Cathryn Wood (LU) def. Cords, Robyn/Lyons, Ahtyanna (MU) 8-0

Match Notes:
Marian University 2-4
Lawrence University 3-4
T-3:00  A-35

Muchowski’s late goal lifts Vikings past Nebraska Wesleyan

APPLETON, Wis. — Keli Muchowski converted a penalty kick with less than five minutes remaining to lift the Lawrence University women’s soccer team to a 3-2 nonconference victory over Nebraska Wesleyan University on Sunday at Whiting Field West.

Muchowski scored a pair of goals on penalty kicks for Lawrence (1-1-0), and Amber Johnson scored twice for Nebraska Wesleyan (2-1-1).

The game-winning goal came as a result of a great run by freshman Casey Merkle. Merkle was streaking toward the goal when she was taken down in the penalty box. Muchowski then beat goalkeeper Madi Francis with the penalty kick with just 4:39 remaining to give the Vikings a 3-2 lead.

Nebraska Wesleyan grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Johnson scored in the fourth minute. Lawrence bounced right back when Merkle scored off an assist from Anne Leung at the 6:21 mark to tie the game at 1-1.

Muchowski gave Lawrence a 2-1 lead at the 36:35 mark. Muchowski got off a shot that hit the post, and as she was leaping over Francis, she was upended by the Nebraska Wesleyan goalkeeper. Muchowski was awarded a penalty kick and converted for her first goal of the contest.

The Prairie Wolves came out strong in the second half and finally evened the score at 2-2 on Johnson’s goal at the 68:35 mark.

Dani Glass made seven saves in goal for Lawrence to get the win. Francis stopped four shots for Nebraska Wesleyan.

Box score

Vikings fall to Wartburg

WAVERLY, Iowa — The Wartburg College women’s tennis team topped Lawrence University 8-1 on Saturday in a nonconference match.

The lone victory on the day for Lawrence (2-4) came at No. 1 doubles where the team of Hannah Geoffrey and Ali Heiring topped Melissa Davis and Liz Rucker 9-7.

Wartburg College 8, Lawrence University 1

 Singles competition
1. Katherine Ross (WART) def. Gayatri Malhotra (LU) 6-3, 6-0
2. Melissa Davis (WART) def. Hannah Geoffrey (LU) 6-1, 6-0
3. Emily Rasmussen (WART) def. Polly Dalton (LU) 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-8)
4. Jessica Behrer (WART) def. Melissa Heeren (LU) 6-2, 6-0
5. Liz Rucker (WART) def. Allison Juda (LU) 7-6, 6-1
6. Marissa Buresh (WART) def. Brenna Decker (LU) 6-2, 6-2

 Doubles competition
1. Hannah Geoffrey/Ali Heiring (LU) def. Melissa Davis/Liz Rucker (WART) 9-7
2. Katherine Ross/Jenna Wilkinson (WART) def. Polly Dalton/Gayatri Malhotra (LU) 8-5
3. Jessica Behrer/Marissa Buresh (WART) def. Elana Lambert/Cathryn Wood (LU) 8-1

UWEC shuts out Vikings

WAVERLY, Iowa — The UW-Eau Claire women’s tennis team pitched a shutout on Saturday with a 9-0 nonconference win over Lawrence University.

The Blugolds are a perfect 3-0 on the season.

UW-Eau Claire 9, Lawrence University 0

 Singles competition
1. Katie Gillman (UWEC) def. Gayatri Malhotra (LU) 6-0, 6-0
2. Mary Frassetto (UWEC) def. Hannah Geoffrey (LU) 6-2, 6-0
3. Colleen McCullough (UWEC) def. Polly Dalton (LU) 6-0, 6-0
4. Renee Nelson (UWEC) def. Melissa Heeren (LU) 6-0, 6-1
5. Madison Rossebo (UWEC) def. Allison Juda (LU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Paige Kuepers (UWEC) def. Brenna Decker (LU) 6-0, 6-2

 Doubles competition
1. Katie Gillman/Colleen McCullough (UWEC) def. Hannah Geoffrey/Ali Heiring (LU) 8-3
2. Mary Frassetto/Madison Rossebo (UWEC) def. Polly Dalton/Gayatri Malhotra (LU) 8-2
3. Paige Kuepers/Renee Nelson (UWEC) def. Allison Juda/Kathleen Frankel (LU) 8-0

Match Notes:
Lawrence University 2-3
UW-Eau Claire 3-0

Cornell uses fast start to run past Lawrence

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa — The Cornell College football team scored on its first five possessions Saturday and went on to a 45-14 Midwest Conference win over Lawrence University at Ash Park.

Cornell quarterback Juan Flores had a big day as he completed 21 of 27 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

Lawrence quarterback Luke Barthelmess was only 18 of 41 passing for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Barthelmess also ran 20 times for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Cornell (1-0, 1-0 MWC) forced a punt on Lawrence’s opening possession of the game and moved 56 yards in only three plays for the first touchdown of the game. Flores hit Justin Cox with a 23-yard scoring pass for a 7-0 lead. After another Lawrence punt, Cornell moved 53 yards in six plays, with Flores connecting with Brit Connor from 18 yards out, for a 14-0 lead.

Myron Seabrook then intercepted Barthelmess on the next possession and ran it back 22 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead. After a Lawrence drive stalled at the Cornell 38-yard line, the Vikings punted. Cornell drove 75 yards in seven plays for another touchdown and a 28-0 lead.

Lawrence (0-1, 0-1) got its first score of the game when Barthelmess hit Taylor Mandich from six yards out for a touchdown. The drive covered 88 yards and took 12 plays and trimmed the lead to 31-7 with 3:59 left in the first half. Mandich finished the day with four catches for 34 yards.

The Vikings picked up their other touchdown early in the fourth quarter after a 12-play, 61-yard drive. Barthelmess ran it from four yards out to cut Cornell’s lead to 45-14.

Linebacker Brandon Taylor led Lawrence’s defense with 10 tackles. Jeremy Demlow had 14 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, to pace the Rams.

The Vikings acutally had one more first down (22-21) and ran 33 more offensive plays than the Rams. Lawrence enjoyed a huge edge in time of possession (37:04-22:56).

Lawrence has its home opener next Saturday when it hosts Lake Forest College at 6 p.m. in the Banta Bowl.

Box score