Box Score

Galesburg, IL – The Prairie Fire began Midwest Conference play with a 4-0 win against Ripon College on Saturday at Jorge Prats Field.

The victory was the eighth straight for Knox, one short of the all-time mark of nine in a row by the 1988 Knox men's soccer team that won the Midwest Conference championship.  The Prairie Fire also upended Ripon for the first time since 2007, when Knox nipped the Red Hawks 3-2 in 2OT at home.

Sophomore Nathaniel Logie (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Queens Royal College), who began the week second among all NCAA Division III players in goals scored, put the Prairie Fire on top 1-0 with his 11th of the season – assisted by senior Maxwell Gatyas (Plymouth, WI, Plymouth Comprehensive) -- 30:03 into the contest.

Logie struck again 12:00 later on a long cross from sophomore Charles Edemba (Abia, Nigeria, Santana Rhetoric Institute) for a 2-0 lead.

Knox put Ripon (0-6, 0-1 MWC) in a 3-0 hole when sophomore Charlie Harned (Webster Groves, MO, Clayton) scored on a header from Gatyas at 52:02.

First-year Andy Van Buskirk (Overland Park, KS, Rockhurst) added his second goal in the last two matches, assisted by Harned, at the 61:21 mark for a 4-0 Prairie Fire advantage.

Harned and Gatyas were first and third in the nation, respectively, in assists in matches played through September 15.
Knox outshot Ripon 17-8 overall and 7-1 on goal.

Prairie Fire goalie Sean Dockrell (Dublin, Ireland, San Bernadino CC) earned his sixth shutout of the season.  He's one away from matching the seven shutouts by the 1988 squad and improved to 8-0 in his eight matches in goal this season for Knox.

Six goalies have recorded seven shutouts in a season in Midwest Conference history.  The record is 10, which has been accomplished twice.

The Midwest Conference record for team shutouts in a season is 11.

Knox squares off against Lawrence in another Midwest Conference match on Sunday at 1:30.

The Vikings (3-3-1, 1-0 MWC) won at Illinois College 1-0 in OT on Saturday, their second straight victory after also defeating Concordia University Chicago 2-1 at home on September 17.

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