Contact: Troy Weiman - Director of Athletic Communications - 563.588.7243
Nov. 18, 2022 - For the second year in a row, the No. 15/10 Loras College women's soccer team will be, at the very least, one of the last 16 teams standing in the NCAA Division III National Tournament as the Duhawks embark on the Round of 16, and possibly the Round of 8, this weekend in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Duhawks remain unbeaten entering the second weekend of the tournament for the second year in a row, this time at 18-0-3 as they head off for Cleveland. Loras hosted the first two rounds of the tournament last weekend at the Rock Bowl in Dubuque, disposing of the University of Wisconsin-Superior and (RV) Ohio Northern University in its two games. Senior forward Ryleigh O’Brien was the story of the weekend as she tallied an almost unfathomable five goals in the 7-1 first-round win over UW-Superior. The Hampton, Ill. native followed that up with a game-winner the next day as Loras defeated ONU 1-0 in the Round of 32.
Loras’ opponent in the Round of 16 is the host team for this weekend, fourth-ranked Case Western Reserve University. The Spartans are undefeated this season themselves as they enter with a 17-0-1 record after winning the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship and securing the team’s first ever undefeated regular season. In CWRU’s only tie this season, the Spartans tallied an 89th minute equalizer to force a 2-2 draw with the University of Rochester back on Oct. 28. The Spartans score an average of 3.28 goals per game to rank 20th in the country (Loras ranked 11th with an average of 3.86). CWRU defeated the University of Pittsburgh Greensburg 6-1 and Ithaca College 6-0 to advance to this weekend’s games.
On the other side of the bracket is sixth-ranked William Smith College. The Herons are 13-1-6 in the season, giving them more ties than any other team in the top-15 of the United Soccer Coaches rankings. William Smith entered the national tournament on a stretch of four straight 0-0 ties, two to close out the regular season and then two more in the Liberty League conference tournament as the Herons fell to Ithaca in penalty kicks to decide their conference championship. William Smith has allowed just six goals total all season long, ranking as the fourth fewest in NCAA Division III, after a pair of shutout wins – 12-0 over SUNY-Dehli and 1-0 over No. 23 Tufts University – in last weekend’s opening round action.
The Herons will face off with eighth-ranked Amherst College on Saturday afternoon, as the Mammoths enter as the only team in Cleveland with a loss on its record this season. At 18-2 overall, Amherst has not allowed a goal since a 3-1 win over Connecticut College on Oct. 18, giving the Mammoths seven consecutive shutouts entering this weekend. Three of those shutouts came in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament, which the Mammoths won for a sixth consecutive season. They’ve advanced to this point by way of a 3-0 win over Westminster College and a 1-0 win over the Rochester Institute of Technology in the opening rounds.
Loras and Case Western Reserve will open this weekend’s action in Cleveland at 11 A.M. (ET) on Saturday, Nov. 19, with William Smith and Amherst to follow at 1:30 P.M. (ET). The winners will meet in the Round of 8 on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 1:00 P.M. (ET).