By: Cade Messer - Athletic Communications Student Assistant
Contact - Troy Weiman, Director of Athletic Communications - 563-588-7243
Nov. 11, 2022 -The No. 15/10 ranked Loras College Women’s soccer team looks to continue their success this weekend at the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Tournament. The Duhawks are coming off their seventeenth American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Championship this past weekend and will begin their postseason run this Saturday at home against the University of Wisconsin-Superior at 1 P.M. The Duhawks were selected as a host institution for the first and second rounds earlier this week by the NCAA.
Loras is entering the NCAA Tournament fresh off seven all-conference selections by the A-R-C. Head coach Matt Pucci and his staff of Gretchen Schutz and Seth Kurzynski were named, A-R-C Co-Coaching Staff of the Year. Senior Olivia Lansing headlined the Duhawk honors as she was named A-R-C Defensive Player of the Year. Lansing was one of the leaders of the dominant Duhawk defense that has forced eleven shutouts this season.
Saturday afternoon the Duhawks will face off against the University of Wisconsin-Superior (15-3-4) who won their second straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) title last Saturday with a 6-0 win over Northwestern (Minn.). The Yellow Jackets come into the first-round matchup averaging just over 3 goals per game, including finding the back of the net six times in their last two games. Only one other time in program history have the Duhawks and Yellow Jackets faced off against each other. In their one matchup back in 2013 the Duhawks won 7-0.
The two other programs that the Duhawks will be hosting in their pod this weekend are (RV) Ohio Northern University (13-1-5) and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (10-2-6). Ohio Northern University won the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) tournament this past weekend for the second year in a row. Their opponent, the Fightin’ Engineers of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, won 1-0 over Hanover University last Saturday to win the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament, and secure their bid to the big dance. Kickoff between Ohio Northern and Rose-Hulman is set for 3:30 P.M. Saturday afternoon.
The winners of the two first-round matches will face off on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 3 P.M in the Rock Bowl. The winner will advance to the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen next weekend.