The Muskies are still looking for their first-ever win against Lawrence in a series that dates back to 1993, Lakeland's first year playing the sport at the varsity level. The Vikings won last year's matchup 6-3 in Appleton on Sept. 1, 2024, pulling away in the second half after the teams were tied 2-2 at halftime. Natalie Linebarger scored twice to lead Lawrence while Malaya Sperber scored two goals in her Muskies debut. The three goals marked a new high for Lakeland against Lawrence, as the Vikings have won 10 of the previous meetings via shutout. This marks the fifth straight year that the teams have met, and the Muskies are hosting the Vikings for the fourth time in the last six meetings, but Lawrence hosted eight of the first 11 meetings, including the first-ever on Sept. 20, 1993, a 13-0 Vikings win.

About Lakeland: The Muskies open a new season at home against a Lawrence squad that went on to play in the NCAA Division III Tournament last year. Lakeland finished 2-11-3 last year and 1-8-3 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Muskies opened with seven goals in their first two games but struggled to score the rest of the season with just six goals over their final 14 games. Lakeland did set a program record for ties in a season and played eight games decided by two goals or less, posting a 1-4-3 record in those matches.

Head coach Heather Robare is back for her fourth year leading the Muskies. Six starters return from last year's team including Sperber and goalkeeper Ingrid Steinbock, who was named honorable mention all-NACC as a freshman in goal. Sperber led the team with four goals and nine points total as a freshman, and other returning starters include midfielders Lia Armstrong and Mikayla Belasco and defenders Emily Guy and Allison Solberg-Kieler.

Lawrence last time out: Tied Concordia Wisconsin 2-2 Friday
The Vikings have already played once this season, opening with a tie at home in Appleton Friday night against the Falcons. Lawrence rebounded from a 1-0 halftime deficit to take a 2-1 lead in the 66th minute on a goal by Maddie Schellinger, but Concordia scored the tying goal in the 81st minute and the game finished in a tie. CUW posted a slim 15-13 edge in shot attempts but a much larger 13-6 lead in shots on goal. Ella Lysne made 11 saves in goal for Lawrence, and Hannah Kalt also scored a goal to tie the game at 1-1 with assists from Elena Hartung and Kylie Melonis.

About Lawrence: The Vikings are coming off a championship season last year when they tied for the Midwest Conference regular season crown, won the conference tournament and made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 14 years. Lawrence finished 15-5-2 overall, and six starters return from that team. The Vikings lost their top three point scorers but return five players who scored at least two goals each as well as starting goalkeeper Ella Lysne, who posted a 1.45 goals against average and a .744 save percentage last year.