Contact: Chassidy Holloway, Associate Executive Director, holloway@midwestconference.org
 
LAKE FOREST, Illinois – Lake Forest College and Illinois College have advanced to the Midwest Conference (MWC) Men's Soccer Tournament championship game, set for Saturday, November 9, after winning their semifinal matches on Friday.
 
In the morning’s opening match, the Foresters defeated Grinnell College 4-1.
 
The Pioneers struck first, taking an early lead 11:49 into the first half. Lake Forest responded quickly, equalizing at the 13:24 mark.
 
The Foresters gained control by adding a second goal in the 29th minute and followed with two more in the second half (69:46 and 83:57) to secure the victory.
 
Despite the three-goal margin, the game’s statistics were close. Lake Forest only outshot Grinnell 14-11, with a 9-7 edge in shots on goal. The Foresters also held slight leads in saves (6-5) and corner kicks (4-3).
 
Grinnell ends the season with an 8-6-5 overall record (4-2-2 MWC), while Lake Forest improves to 9-7-3 overall.
 
In the second match of the day, Illinois College faced Knox College, advancing on penalty kicks, 6-5, after regulation and two overtime periods ended in a 3-3 draw.
 
The Blueboys struck first, scoring 6:40 into the match. The Prairie Fire responded with goals at the 14:02 and 19:36 marks to take a 2-1 lead.
 
Illinois College netted the first goal of the second half at 62:00 to even the score at 2-2.
 
The action intensified in the 73rd minute, as the Blueboys scored at 73:21, only for Knox to respond 26 seconds later, tying the game at 3-3.
 
Overall, Illinois College outshot Knox 14-11, while Knox led in shots on goal, 7-6. The Blueboys posted a 4-3 edge in saves and a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks.
 
Knox concludes the season with a 7-7-4 overall record (4-2-2 MWC), and Illinois College improves to 13-4-2 overall.
 
The Foresters and the Blueboys will kick off at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, with the winner claiming the tournament title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.