The 2016 women's soccer team had a historic season, going undefeated until the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The women's soccer team went 19-0-1 in the regular season, and a 9-0-0 mark in the Midwest Conference (MWC). The Prairie Fire won their first ever Midwest Conference regular season and tournament championships. Knox also earned a bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in team history, completing a remarkable turnaround for the Prairie Fire. Knox lost to Washington University (St. Louis) 3-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Washington University went on to win the NCAA Tournament. The Prairie Fire set numerous school and conference records and became the first team at Knox College to go through the regular season undefeated since the 1919 football team went 8-0.
During the 2016 season, the Prairie Fire out-scored their opponents 65-6 with 17 shutouts and a 0.28 goals against average that ranked fifth in the nation. They also ranked third nationally in shutout percentage (.810); seventh in save percentage (.903); and 23rd in scoring offense (3.10 goals per game). They were among the leaders in the Midwest Conference in most statistical categories. Knox also earned a top-25 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) national poll for the first time in program history. Kayla Brown, Yvette Rodriguez, Sierra Daniger, Angelica Gamez, and Jenna Milligan earned All-MWC honors, Brown, Rodriguez, and Daniger were named to the NSCAA All-North Region Team, and head coach Paul Lawrence was selected as the MWC Coach of the Year.
The team still owns the MWC records in goals against average, team shutouts, and fewest goals allowed.
"As a member of the 2016 team and a current coach in the program, I am honored to talk about the induction of our 2016 Women's Soccer team," said current assistant women's soccer coach Annie Gerdes. "Our 2016 team was at the forefront of our program's historic success. We have many players who recorded tremendous individual success like Kayla Brown, Jenna Milligan, and Sierra Daniger. But as a team, we made history at Knox and shocked the Midwest Conference. Our team fought day in and day out to win a title and head into the NCAA Tournament undefeated. Prior to our first championship in 2016, Knox was typically ranked last place in the conference. In 2016 our goal was not only to win, but also to change the way the conference and everyone saw Knox Women's Soccer, and we did that by not losing a single game that season. This story continues today, as our program has only lost two conference games in the last five seasons. The 2016 team started the success that led to the historic feat of five consecutive championships and I am proud to say as a member of that team and current coach at Knox that our induction gives us tremendous pride as a program. On behalf of the 2016 Women's Soccer Team, we thank you for always supporting us during our time at Knox and after."
Original source can be found here.
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