A go-ahead goal with just 1:14 to play gave the Lake Forest College men's soccer team a 2-1 triumph over Knox College in the championship game of the 2015 Midwest Conference Tournament on Saturday. The Foresters also earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, which will begin next weekend.
Junior midfielder Ellis Rutili scored the game-winner from 12 yards out. Senior midfielder Cesar Sandoval led junior forward Colin Jackson up the right side of the field and Jackson crossed it to Rutili for the score. It was Rutili's fifth goal of the season and Jackson's second assist of the contest.
Lake Forest scored the game's first goal in the 30th minute. Jackson took a pass from senior midfielder Themis Mourikes and played it back to senior forward Dylan Hartman, who chipped it over the Knox goalkeeper from 30 yards out.
The Prairie Fire finally tied the score at the 61:32 mark and it remained 1-1 until Rutili's goal at 88:46.
Forester freshman goalkeeper Elvin Husetovic made a pair of saves in the contest and is now 7-4-2 on the season.
Lake Forest improved to 13-6-1 on the year while the Prairie Fire fell to 13-3-3.
The Foresters will find out where they will travel for the first round of the NCAA Tournament on the NCAA Division III Tournament selection show on ncaa.com Monday at 12:30 p.m.
