GALESBURG, Illinois— The Prairie Fire men's soccer team defeated the Lake Forest College Foresters today, shutting them out 2-0. The impressive victory moves them into first place in the Midwest Conference, and gives them a clearcut advantage as they move towards their last three regular season games. 
 
Knox began the game with a strong offensive presence, with Raphael Adeyemi and Adetayo Adefioye providing their usual electric play. In the 15th minute, Lucas Piqueras scored off of a Jun Min rebound to put the Prairie Fire up 1-0. Knox's offense found little breathing room after this, as they managed to only get off one more shot the rest of the half. Despite this setback, their defense played exceptionally tough soccer, and as a result they entered the half maintaining their lead.
 
The physical play in the second half greatly increased on both sides, as evidenced by the multiple fouls each team drew. Offensive play by Adefioye and Martin Garcia provided some opportunities, but the Prairie Fire struggled to convert opportunities. In the 67th minute, though, Adefioye finally converted Knox's second goal of the game, giving them a much-needed insurance goal. Later play proved to be chippy, with each side receiving a yellow card. Knox used their physical superiority to carry the day and win comfortably.
 
"Lake Forest is always a tough opponent," said head coach Brian O'Connor. "I was very happy with how we went after them today. We will get back to work this week to get ready for Lawrence.
 
The Prairie Fire look to keep the good times rolling when they host Lawrence University on October 26 at 1:30 p.m.