MWC Championship Page

GALESBURG, Ill. – Grinnell College's men's soccer team is looking to continue its hot streak this weekend when it competes in the 2017 Midwest Conference Tournament hosted by Knox College.
 
The fourth-seeded Pioneers, who are enjoying a three-game winning streak, take on top-seeded and co-MWC regular season champion Knox at 11 a.m. Friday in semifinal action.
 
Grinnell, 6-3 in the league and 8-8-1 in all games, is making its 19th trip to the MWC Tournament and eighth appearance in the last 12 years.
 
Grinnell and Knox, ranked ninth in the North Region, played on Oct. 7 in Galesburg with the Prairie Fire earning a 2-0 victory.
 
Antonio DiMarco '18 has been a driving force for Grinnell's offense, ranking second in the conference in both points with 30 and goals with 12. Teammate Artis Curiskis '18 is also in the mix, ranking fourth in the league in assists with five.
 
Evan Sorenson '19 has four goals and Curiskis, Jasper Yang '21 and Carlos Piedrasanta '20  three apiece. On the assists front, Kyle Buse '20 has three and Sorenson and Mikoto Kobayashi '20 have two each.
 
Jared Cloutier '20 and Michael Spicer '21 have played the most minutes at keeper for Grinnell. Cloutier has a 1.80 goals against average and .667 saves percentage, while Spicer has a 1.84 goals against average and .688 saves percentage.
 
Knox, which is 4-0-1 against Grinnell in the last five meetings, is 8-0-1 in the MWC and 13-2-4 overall. Erick Karkut is sixth in the league in goals with eight and Lucas Sanchez ranks seventh with seven. Sanchez is also fifth in points with 18.
 
Justin Dunn of the Prairie Fire ranks first in the league in three keeper categories, goals against average (.500), saves percentage (.877) and shutouts (nine).
 
The other semifinal pits second-seeded and regular-season co-champ St. Norbert College and third-seeded Lake Forest College. The semifinal winners meet at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the winner earning the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.