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Gustavo Machado brace helped Lake Forest men's soccer defeat Lawrence on the road to improve to 2-0 in conference play.
The two sides traded opportunities in the opening stages of the match.
Kristian Kopacz missed a shot in the first 90 seconds before Lawrence responded with a shot that
Andrew Swacha denied in the fifth minute.
A 15th-minute cross by
Rocky Rabago deflected off the hands of one of the Viking defenders and led to a penalty for the Foresters. Senior
Gustavo Machado stepped up to the spot for Lake Forest and delivered his spot kick into the back of the net to give the Foresters a 1-0 lead. After scoring from 12 yards out against Dominican last week, Machado maintained perfection from the spot. The goal also marked the fourth consecutive game in which the Brazilian has scored for Lake Forest.
Lawrence responded in the 27th minute, scoring from 30 yards out to level the score at one. Neither team found its footing in the final 15 minutes of the first half, and the two teams were deadlocked at one going into the break.
The Foresters started the second half with a counterattack through
Nathan Kostovetsky. However, the Vikings closed down with speed, blocking his shot wide of the goal. In the 56th minute,
Marceli Okonski made a save for the Foresters, keeping the game tied at one. Lake Forest picked up a corner kick in the 68th minute and the ball wasn't handled properly by the Vikings. It found its way to Rabago, who powered it home from close range to make the score 2-1 for the Foresters.
In the 82nd minute, a
Sam Satisky long throw found its way to the edge of the box, where Kostovetsky touched it down for Machado. With his back to goal, the senior swiveled around and launched the ball into the top left corner to give Lake Forest a 3-1 lead. The defense held on in the final moments to keep the 2-goal margin, and the visitors came away with a win to stay unbeaten in MWC play.
The Foresters return home on Friday, September 25 for a nonconference matchup against Dubuque. Kickoff from Farwell Field is set for 4:30 p.m.
