GALESBURG, Illinois—The Prairie Fire men's soccer team defeated the Monmouth College Fighting Scots by a final score of 2-0 this Friday at Jorge Prats Field. The win moves them into the final of the Midwest Conference Men's Soccer Tournament.
 
The first half got off to a physical start, with both teams being called for several fouls. Knox began to use their advantage in this department to get several shots off on goal, with a few of them nearly scoring. In the 19th minute, Nick Janulis used nifty assists from Jun Min and Adetayo Adefioye to score the game's opening goal. The Prairie Fire continued to stifle the Monmouth defense, not giving them any rest as they continued to shoot the ball from right outside the box. With a shot comparison of 12-2, Knox demonstrated that their sole goal was to pound the Fighting Scot defense until they eventually broke. Entering the half with a one goal lead, this strategy proved successful.
 
Knox's physical efforts to dispossess Monmouth of the ball resulted in several more early fouls being called, making the team play more conservatively to avoid receiving any cards. Despite this, their offense continued to put pressure on the Fighting Scots, and the Prairie Fire midfield made sure any efforts to move the ball into Knox's half proved fruitless. In the 63rd minute, Janulis added to his goal total with an impressive shot that was assisted again by Adefioye. The Prairie Fire's offense didn't score any more goals after this, but still kept the Monmouth keeper under duress throughout the rest of the match.
 
"It was a good performance against a tough opponent," said head coach Brian O'Connor. "Monmouth was extremely organized and tough to break down. Ultimately, the boys were able to get the goals we needed and we are moving on."
 
Knox plays at home Saturday against St. Norbert College at 2:00 p.m., with a victory giving them a spot in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament.