Box Score

Galesburg, IL – The Prairie Fire lost a hard fought Midwest Conference match to Grinnell College 2-0 on a rainy Saturday at Jorge Prats Field.

Grinnell (7-4, 4-1 MWC) got on the board first on a penalty kick goal by Hannah Truesdale 29:51 into the match. The penalty was called in the box when junior Brynn Cole (Corrales, NM, Bosque School) slipped and made contact with a Grinnell forward as she was making a move towards the goal.

The second and final goal of the contest came at 35:57 when the Pioneers' Dabney Hofammann fired a shot from the edge of the goal box that went under the diving arms of first-year Knox goal keeper Theresa Birzer (Fort Dodge, IA, Fort Dodge).  Birzer played well, totaling a career-high 13 saves in the contest.

Grinnell's midfield came up big by possessing the ball throughout the match. The Prairie Fire's opportunities to score were limited by the Pioneers' midfield winning many of the balls in the air and swarming Knox leading scorer, junior Ella Petersen (Wilmette, IL, Lake Forest Academy), and first-year Danielle Fraser (Northfield, IL, New Trier) when they gained possession of the ball.

Petersen did a fine job of trying to turn the field around from her midfield position and getting the ball to her forwards Fraser and junior Nadia Tapfumaneyi (Harare, Zimbabwe, SOS-Hermann Gmeiner).  Cole played an exceptional match leading the Prairie Fire defense. She was in great position throughout the contest, deflecting several shots on goal by the Grinnell offense.

Knox (5-6, 0-4 MWC) has two days to regroup before beginning a stretch of three straight road matches beginning with Illinois College on October 8 at 3:30.

The Prairie Fire's next and final home game will be on Homecoming and Senior Day, October 19, against Lake Forest College.

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