The women's soccer team improved to 4-2-1 in conference with a 2-0 win over Northern Athletics Conference opponent Concordia University Chicago on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in River Forest, Ill.

"It was good to get back on track after we had a little skid last week," said head coach Dave Madsen, referring to two straight losses in NAC play to Concordia, Wis., and Edgewood. "We had a good idea of what they were going to do, and we played harder than they did from start to finish."

Senior forward Ann Lehecka got the scoring started in the 26th minute on an assist from junior Kelly Hopfinger, giving Lakeland a 1-0 lead at halftime.

In spite of the cold and rainy weather, the Muskies kept the heat on their opponent in the second half, pouring on the shots for nine of their 12 shot attempts for the game.

In the 71st minute one of those shots found its mark, as sophomore forward Amy Christenson tallied the team's second and final goal of the game on an assist from freshman forward Gina Weiss.

"Gina had a really strong shot on frame that the goalie attempted to save, but Amy was there to finish," Madsen said. "That showed me our concentration level was high today and it was good to see us executing. The biggest thing the girls did today was put their minds into what they were doing."

Senior netminder Alli Weiss only had to make two saves for the game, adding yet another shutout to her collection.

"It was a good effort all around, even though we played a few people out of position," Madsen said. "Elisa Waltz and Gina Weiss really stepped up their game, which should help us down the road if we have to switch some people around."

The win today should give the squad a good confidence boost heading into their next game with Rockford College on Saturday, Oct. 14, and next week's top-ranked conference opponents Aurora and Dominican.

"The Rockford game will give us another chance to find ways to challenge ourselves," he said. "The way the girls have been approaching things, I think they have learned not to take things for granted. We'll just need to come out strong and get a foothold on the game early."

Game time for Saturday's NAC match-up with Rockford is set for 1 p.m. at Muskie Field. The team will also recognize the contributions of their seniors for Senior Day, as the game is one of the last at home this season.