Box Score

Galesburg, IL – The Prairie Fire used smothering defense to make a penalty kick stand in a 1-0 Midwest Conference victory against Lawrence University on Sunday at Jorge Prats Field.

Senior Max Gatyas (Plymouth, WI, Plymouth Comprehensive) was awarded a penalty kick and made the most of it, sending it past Vikings' goalie Joseph Krivit at the 40:16 mark for the only goal of the match and his fifth of the season.

The Knox defense and its goal keeper Sean Dockrell (Dublin, Ireland, San Bernadino CC) did the rest.  The Prairie Fire (9-1-0, 2-0 MWC) defenders were relentless and permitted only five shots by Lawrence, one of them saved by Dockrell.

Dockrell helped Knox win its ninth straight match, tying the all-time mark by the 1988 men's soccer team that rolled off nine consecutive victories en route to the College's last Midwest Conference championship and second overall.

Dockrell recorded his third straight shutout, which was also accomplished during the 1988 season, and seventh overall.  The 1988 team, with Rich Stempinski in goal, finished with a 10-2-1 record and seven shutouts.  Dockrell's seven shutouts so far this year tie him with six other players for the fourth-most in a season in Midwest Conference history.

The MWC record for goalie shutouts in a season is 10 shared by Dave Whitcomb of Grinnell College in 2001 and David Brennaman, also from Grinnell, in 1994.

Knox outshot Lawrence (3-4-1, 1-1 MWC) 13-5 overall in the contest.

The Vikings, a 1-0 OT winner at Illinois College on Saturday, suffered its first loss against Knox since September 23, 2001.

The Prairie Fire resume play against Cornell College in MWC match on September 28 at home at 1:30 p.m.

Follow Prairie Fire athletics on Twitter and Facebook

View pictures of the 2013 men's soccer season