Lakeland’s women’s soccer team conceded four goals in the first twenty minutes of the first half on the way to a 7-0 loss to Northern Athletics Conference tournament qualifier Concordia Wisconsin in the final game of the season on Wednesday Oct. 28 at home.
Falcon attacker Casey Pulver scored two goals while her teammate Emily Waldorf scored her goal in the 3rd minute of the match for Concordia Wisconsin, who outshot the Muskies 18-4 on the day.
Most of Lakeland’s shots came near the end of the first half, the best chance a shot on goal from 40 yards out by sophomore midfielder Dana Schmidt.
“We had some chances later on in the first half and had to work very hard to get things going,” women’s soccer coach Dave Madsen said. “Knowing that we can play at that level when we work hard is eye opening and a good lesson for us.”
Junior goalkeeper Whitney England registered five saves for the Muskies, who finish with a record 2-10 in conference and with a 4-15 mark overall in a season marred by injuries and low numbers.
Madsen said every individual member of his team improved in some way this season.
“We showed resilience and toughness to come back and finish off difficult games,” Madsen said. “There’s plenty to learn from this year. If we’re able to find our hardest effort possible and play to that level consistently, we’ll be a much improved team next year. To improve collectively it’s an issue of daily effort more than assuming things will get done by themselves.”