Knox College Athletics

The 1973 Men’s Soccer Team won Knox College’s first-ever Midwest Conference soccer championship in what was just the program’s fourth season as a varsity sport. Facing the Midwest Conference North Division champion St. Olaf College, which entered the contest with an 8-0 record and a 13-match winning streak, they beat the Oles 3-2 on the road.

Knox was led by senior star Dave Bauman ’74, who put in two goals in the first half. Freshman Fernando Lulli ’77 scored the third and decisive goal early in the second half. The team was coached by Jorge Prats, a 2006 Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, and assisted by Momcillo Rosic and Carl Nordgren ’73.

That match was the culmination of two years of increasing success on the soccer field. In 1972, Knox won the Midwest Conference South Division before losing to Beloit College in the conference championship. In 1973, the team had a 4-2 record heading into its final two matches of the regular season, both against previously undefeated Cornell College. Knox won those matches 1-0 and 3-0, repeating as champions of the Midwest Conference South Division.

The 1973 team was led by co-captains Dave Bauman and George Rosic ’74. Bauman was the leading scorer with 10 goals and named the team’s Most Valuable Player. Craig Steele ’76 was the second leading scorer with five goals. In total, Knox scored 26 goals during the nine-game season and allowed just 12.