NAPERVILLE, Illinois - The Prairie Fire women's soccer team dropped a non-conference game at No. 18 North Central College 5-1 on Sunday afternoon.
The Cardinals scored in the second minute of the game to take an early lead. They scored again in the seventh minute as well as the 27th and 30th minutes.
Sarah McCracken put Knox on the board at the 35:38 mark to send the Prairie Fire into halftime trailing 4-1.
North Central tacked on one more goal in the 78th minute to earn the victory.
The Cardinals outshot Knox 46-1 overall, including a 21-1 edge in shots on goal.
Carina Escobar racked up 14 saves in goal for the Prairie Fire.
"Sarah got an excellent shot and knocked it home," said head coach Rob Battisson. "Facing a nationally ranked opponent is always tough, but we should have plenty of experience heading into conference play here soon."
Knox returns to action as they travel to the University of Chicago on September 24 in their final tuneup before MWC play. Chicago is currently ranked 13th in the nation.
