Lake Forest College Sports Information
November 2, 2003
Contact: Mike Wajerski , SID

Lake Forest Earns First-Ever NCAA Tournament Bid
Foresters shut out St. Norbert and Grinnell to win MWC Tourney
  

Head Coach T.R. Bell and his Foresters are making their first NCAA Tourney appearance.
GRINNELL, IA - The Lake Forest College women's soccer team recorded a pair of shutouts over the weekend (November 1-2) to win the 2003 Midwest Conference Tournament and earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. The Foresters defeated St. Norbert College 2-0 in the semifinals on Saturday and knocked off host and MWC champion Grinnell College 1-0 in the final on Sunday. Lake Forest is now 14-3-1 on the season. St. Norbert fell to 12-3-2 on the year and Grinnell finished with an 11-6-1 record.

In Saturday's win over St. Norbert, freshman goalkeeper Kristyne Operzedek (Deerfield, IL/Deerfield) recorded eight saves and the shutout, her seventh of the season. Lake Forest got on the scoreboard at the 9:49 mark when senior forward Aviva Landin (Evanston, IL/Evanston Township) knocked in her 14th goal of the season. Senior midfielder Stephanie Fink (Menasha, WI/St. Mary Central) and sophomore forward Melissa Stevenson (Littleton, CO/Dakota Ridge) each recorded an assist. The Foresters got an insurance goal just 3:16 into the second half from freshman defender Allie Kabat (Hinsdale, IL/Hinsdale Township). Stevenson and junior midfielder Carinn Rasak (Santa Fe, NM/Santa Fe Preparatory) assisted on the first goal of Kabat's career.

On Sunday, Rasak set up Stevenson for her team-high 17th goal of the year at the 15:51 mark. Grinnell attempted 25 shots in the game but just four were on-target, and Operzedek stopped each of them for her ninth shutout.

Stevenson's two assists on Saturday raised her school record total for the season to 17. Her 51 points are also the most in the program's history and she trails the mark for goals by just two. Rasak is second on the squad with six assists.

Lake Forest's 14 victories are just one shy of the school record set by the 1996 team. The Foresters' 11 shutouts match the mark set by the 1995 squad.

On Wednesday, November 12, the team will make its first-ever national tournament appearance. The NCAA will announce its tournament field and the pairings next Sunday (November 9).

Lake Forest - St. Norbert Box Score
Lake Forest - Grinnell Box Score