LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- The Ripon College men's soccer team (10-7-2, 4-3-1 MWC) finished their 2025 campaign in the first round of Midwest Conference postseason competition, falling to the #19 nationally ranked Lake Forest Foresters (18-1-0, 8-0-0 MWC).

Ripon entered Friday's contest as the four seed for the tournament, taking on the top seed and hosts for the semifinal game. Although Red Hawks midfielder Thomas Geocaris (Green Bay, Wis., Notre Dame Academy) would earn the first shot attempt of the game, missing to the right in the 6th minute, Lake Forest would end up controlling the offensive flow of the game. Tallying eight first half shot attempts to Ripon's two, the Foresters found the back of the net in the 20th minute, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime. 

The second half saw more attacking from Lake Forest, as the hosts earned nine shot attempts to the Red Hawks' three, scoring two goals in quick succession at the 58th and 62nd minutes. Ripon goalkeeper Drew Seyfer (Thiensville, Wis., Homestead HS) would record five saves for the game, while the Foresters defense held Ripon to zero shots on goal. The final whistle would sound on the Red Hawks season, with the visitors falling 0-3.

Ripon would see a highlight on the day, as senior Connor Handrick (De Pere, Wis., Notre Dame Academy) was named the Midwest Conference Elite 20 winner for men's soccer. Awarded to the top academic participant in each sports' postseason tournaments, Handrick is the second winner across all sports in as many years for Ripon.

The Red Hawks finish their season 10-7-2 overall, finishing fourth in the Midwest Conference. This was the Red Hawks' third consecutive winning season, and second consecutive season with a double-digit win figure. The season also saw head coach Marco Rhein became the new all-time coaching wins leader for Ripon College men's soccer, finishing his 7th season with 43 career wins.