Fox Cities News

The Lawrence University women's soccer team secured a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament following a 2-1 overtime victory against Lake Forest College. The decisive goal came from Izzy Robertson during the Midwest Conference Tournament's championship game at Mohr Field, Lake Forest, Illinois.

With this win, Lawrence claims the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. This marks the Vikings' fourth appearance in the tournament. They will face the University of Chicago in their opening match on Friday at Calvin University, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Lawrence coach Joe Sagar expressed his emotions after the victory: "We found a way," he said. "Very emotional right now. It's been a lot of work to get there but to win it with this group of players, it's something I'll remember for a long, long time."

The match was tied 1-1 after regulation time and headed into overtime when Cambrie Rickard's free kick found Robertson. Her header struck the crossbar before landing in the net at 98:44.

Sagar praised Robertson's effort: "Izzy must have jumped five-and-a-half feet in the air. I'm not sure how she headed it in, but she did."

Lawrence initially took the lead with Erica Grube scoring from over 30 yards out at 22:10. Lake Forest equalized through Izzy DeStefano at 57:18.

Both teams had several opportunities to score. Lawrence goalkeeper Ella Lysne made four saves, while Franca Finch saved two for Lake Forest.

Reflecting on his team's journey, Sagar noted: "This is the kind of stuff that's written in the stars," he said. "This group of seniors scored in overtime as first-years to get us to the conference tournament for the first time in years. It's kind of special that they found a way to do it for the national tournament as well."

This victory marks Lawrence's fourth Midwest Conference Tournament championship and all have been won on away grounds since their first title in 2000.