No. 2 seed Cornell was scored on twice during a four-minute flurry in the second half, which was the difference in Friday’s 2-0 semifinal loss to Lake Forest in the Midwest Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament at England Stadium.
Coach Nate Grosse’s young Rams concluded a successful fall campaign at 6-8-5 overall, after placing second in the MWC regular season with a 4-2-2 mark.
No. 3 seed Lake Forest (6-8-4), the 2022 MWC Tournament champion, advances to Saturday’s title match against the winner of Illinois College and Grinnell for an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Rams and Foresters were locked in a defensive battle early, as was the case in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw between the teams in Mount Vernon.
After a scoreless first half, Lake Forest finally cracked through Cornell’s stingy back line from long range in the 50th minute. The Foresters connected on a 40-yard kick that sneaked above the outstretched hands of leaping goalkeeper Floris Huiskers into the left corner of the net.
The Foresters added a pivotal insurance goal only four minutes later, pushing their lead to 2-0. Lake Forest fired 11 of its 13 total shots in the second half.
The Rams finished with nine shots, four of them on goal. Brenton DuBoise led the team with two shots. Cornell had seven other players with one attempt apiece.
Huiskers collected six saves in another fine complete-game effort. The sophomore finished the season with 94 saves and six shutouts.
The Rams have a strong foundation to build on for next season. All 11 of Cornell’s starters Friday are eligible to return in 2024.