There’s No Place Like Home

By Mike Wajerski
Sports Information Director

Despite the long run of success throughout the department, Forester Athletics has never had a fall season like the one that just ended. When going head-to-head against other schools, Lake Forest teams posted a combined .720 overall winning percentage (66–25–2) and a staggering .775 mark in league contests (30–8–2). One reason the teams fared so well was their ability to win at home. The Foresters dropped a total of just five of 40 contests held at Nick Wasylik Field, the Sports Center, the tennis courts, or the newly renovated Farwell Field. Success at home even extended to Half Day Forest Preserve in Vernon Hills, home to the Forester cross country team. No matter what the venue, opponents’ trips to Lake Forest were rarely successful.

Football
In no sport was playing at home a greater advantage than in football, which posted a 5–0 mark on its new synthetic turf, outscoring opponents 176–57. The team, which finished 8–2 overall and 7–2 in Midwest Conference play, christened its new facility with a 33–0 rout of Grinnell College and closed out the home portion of its schedule with another shutout (27–0) over Lawrence University. In between, Forester fans enjoyed a thrilling 45–41 shootout victory over Ripon College, a 43–2 Homecoming thrashing of Knox College, and a convincing 28–14 win against Illinois College.

Fifth-year head coach Chad Eisele’s team also fared well away from Farwell, and the Foresters were in contention to claim at least a share of the MWC championship until their season-ending loss at St. Norbert College. Lake Forest ended up third in the league standings, and the team allowed the fewest points in the league.

The 2004 squad included 13 seniors. These Foresters won 28 games in their careers, more than in any other four-year span in school history. The 1938–41, 1983–86, and 2000–03 teams are tied for second with 23 victories.

Women’s Soccer
The Forester women’s soccer team also recorded a shutout in its first game at Farwell Field and posted a 7–2–0 record at home on the year (5–1–0 on Farwell Field and 2–1–0 on Wasylik Field). The team won all nine of its Midwest Conference contests, and the squad’s five seniors graduate as MWC champions three years after capturing the program’s second league title as freshmen.

Along with the conference championship, the team earned the right to host the MWC Tournament, which is where Lake Forest’s home field advantage finally ran out. A loss to St. Norbert College in the semifinals ended the season prematurely, but the Foresters’ 14–3–0 record is still second only to the 15–3–0 squad of 1996 in team history.

The season also included an eight-game winning streak, matching the longest in head coach T.R. Bell’s eight years on the Lake Forest sideline. The squad finished the season ranked ninth in the Central Region and scored an average of 3.4 goals per game, the highest mark in team history.

Men’s Soccer
While tiebreakers are often necessary in sports, they can sometimes be heartbreaking to those who lose them. The 2004 Lake Forest College men’s soccer team posted a stellar 12–2–2 overall record and a 5–2–2 mark in Midwest Conference play. Unfortunately, two other schools in the league were tied with the Foresters for third in the MWC standings and, once that deadlock was finally broken by the fourth possible tiebreaker, those two other programs advanced to the four-team conference tournament, ending Lake Forest’s season.

The Foresters were 7–1–1 at home during the year (3–0–1 on Farwell Field and 3–1–0 on Wasylik Field). The team fell in its season opener but not again until game 11. After finishing with a five-game winning streak, Lake Forest earned the ninth spot in the Central Region rankings.

Looking ahead, head coach Ed Kositzki’s squad graduates just four players and will return its top four scorers next season, which is “Coach K’s” 12th year directing the program.

Volleyball
Some programs are known for peaking at the right time of year, and the Lake Forest volleyball team is one of them. Last year the Foresters entered the Midwest Conference Championship Tournament as the number-five seed but shocked the league by knocking off the top seed in the semifinals and eventually claiming the MWC title. The squad was seeded fourth going into this year’s tourney and again eliminated the top-ranked team in the semifinals. However, the Foresters’ run of upset victories ended in the championship match against St. Norbert College. The team’s three seniors had to settle for just two league titles in their careers.

Finishing as the league’s runner-up was a better close to the season than most would have predicted at its halfway point, when the team was 8–8. But strong finishes have become commonplace in the Foresters’ 11 years under the direction of head coach Beth Pier. Pier earned her 200th career victory on September 26 and led Lake Forest to 12 wins in its last 17 matches to finish 20–13 overall. The team won 10 of its 11 home matches and six of nine in the conference, earning second place in the South Division standings.

Women’s Tennis
The Forester women’s tennis team also suffered just one home loss this season and won five times on its own courts. Chris Conger led the squad to a 12–5 overall record, a 3–1 mark in Midwest Conference South Division play, and a sixth appearance in as many years as one of the four schools in the MWC Team Championship Tournament.

After dropping two of the season’s first three matches, the squad won 11 of its next 13, including a victory over Beloit College, the top seed in the North Division, in the MWC Tournament semifinals. The team fell to Grinnell College, however, in the championship match, and had to settle for second place.

Two of the Foresters’ three doubles teams posted runner-up finishes at the MWC’s positional tournaments, as did half if its six singles players. The squad finished the year with a winning record at each of the nine positions in the lineup and will not lose anyone to graduation.

Cross Country
Both of Forester cross country teams placed seventh at the 2004 Midwest Conference Championship meet and, for the first time in the program’s history, three of its members earned all-conference status.

While succeeding at the conference meet is an annual goal of fourth-year head coach Tina McDonie, so is making a strong showing at the only home meet of the year, the Forester Invitational. Not to be outdone by the athletic department’s other teams, Lake Forest used its home course advantage to claim first place and the individual championship in the men’s race. The team also produced season-best times by nearly every member of the women’s squad. It marked the first team victory and second individual title for the men since the program was resurrected in 1995.

The women’s squad is the largest in the history of the program, with a dozen members. The squad is also young—with no seniors and just two juniors. The men will lose just one runner to graduation and return its top three, including the holder of the program’s fastest time.