Football

St. Scholastica 56, MLC 21

DULUTH — Martin Luther College was unable to overcome a poor start in a 56-21 loss at St. Scholastica on Saturday.

The Saints scored on their opening possession and also took advantage of a pair of MLC fumbles in their own territory to build a 21-0 lead after one quarter.

MLC continued to struggle in the second quarter as CSS tacked on three more scores to take a 42-0 halftime lead.

The Knights found their footing in the second half thanks to Ian Paulsen touchdown passes to Michael Radue and Joshua Arndt, as well as a 31-yard Elliott Butler touchdown run, but the deficit was too great to overcome.

Paulsen finished the day 8 of 15 passing for 146 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Butler led the team with 87 yards rushing on 10 carries.

Tristan Pankow led the defensive effort with 10 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack. Joseph Herrewig and Jared Witkowiak each intercepted a pass for the Knights.

MLC fell to 4-3 on the season and 3-3 in UMAC play in defeat.

The Knights will return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday as they host Northwestern (Minn.).

Volleyball

SUPERIOR, WIS. — The Martin Luther College volleyball team was never able to get on track in a 3-0 loss at UW-Superior by the scores of 25-14, 25-20 and 25-17.

The Knights (13-12, 8-4 UMAC) were led by Jade St. Germaine with six kills, followed by Ruth Buchholz and Grace Schultz with five apiece.

MLC hosts Minnesota Morris at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Women’s Soccer

NEW ULM — The Martin Luther College women’s soccer team continues its stellar defensive play with a 1-0 overtime win over UW-Superior on Saturday.

The teams remained scoreless through regulation, but the MLC (7-4-2, 6-1-1 UMAC) offense finally broke through in the 93rd minute. Hailey Johnson put a shot on net that fell near the goal line, where a charging Morgan Hill was in position to put home the game’s only goal.

The goal was Hill’s sixth on the season, while Johnson was credited with an assist.

The Knights host Minnesota Morris at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Men’s Cross Country

ST. BONIFACIUS — The Martin Luther College men’s cross country team took first place at the St. Bonifacius Invitational hosted by Crown College on Saturday.

The Knights finished the event with 20 total team points, leading second-place Carleton by 15 points in the final standings.

Benjamin Bitter took first overall at the event with a final time of 26:39.06.

Four other MLC runners finished inside the top 10, led by Ryan Gurgel in second thanks to a time of 27:55.85. Justin Wilkens finished fourth, while Ethan Carter and Jacob Melso finished sixth and 10th, respectively.

The Knights return to action on Saturday, Oct. 28, when they run at the UMAC Cross Country Championships.

Women’s

Cross Country

ST. BONIFACIUS — The Martin Luther College women’s cross country team finished third at the St. Bonifacius Invite hosted by Crown College on Saturday.

The Knights finished the event with 88 total team points.

Leah Miller and Sydney Cody led the way for MLC in 20th and 21st place, respectively. Miller finished in a time of 27:08.66, while Cody finished with a time of 27:14.26.

The Knights return to action on Saturday, Oct. 28, when they run at the UMAC Cross Country Championships.