DECORAH, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – For junior JoJo Schmidt, his season took a turn for the worse when he went down in preseason with an injury that sidelined him for the first 13 games of the 2014 season. However, the Naperville product never gave up and was rewarded for his persistence on Saturday as he netted the game-winner against the 17th-ranked Luther College Norse, lifting the Duhawks to a 2-1 victory.
 
Coming off a midweek disappointment against UW-Platteville, Loras used practice on Thursday and Friday to refocus on the key areas that have been absent this season, notably headers and finishing.
 
From the opening whistle, both Loras and Luther engaged in an all-out sprint that saw plenty of possession and scoring chances for both sides. In the 22nd minute, it was the Norse who cracked the scoreboard first as Clay Walker tallied his second of the year, finishing a ground cross from JW Slauson.
 
Despite going down 1-0, the Duhawks kept their composure and as a result prevented Luther from holding onto the momentum. Shortly after falling behind, sophomore Calvin Miller was brought on to mark Jon Gednalske who was creating chances with his hard and physical play.
 
The second wave of Duhawks subbed on in the 26th minute and played a big role in stealing back the momentum. Schmidt, who made his first appearance in the 2014 season, was notably effective in the midfield, serving as a dynamic distributor to his forwards.
 
In the 40th minute, Loras earned a throw-in deep in the Luther zone. Sophomore Jimmy Ralph, who made his first appearance since September 18, hit junior Bryan Irwin in the head and he flicked it on towards goal. A scramble in front allowed for the loose ball to fall to Pizzello who blasted home the winner for his 10th goal of the year.
 
Loras took seven shots in the first half, putting four of them on frame. Luther, on the flipside, took four shots and only put one on frame.
 
The second half started just like the first ended, with both teams pushing the tempo, resulting in a Ping-Pong effect up and down the field.
 
Loras exercised the depth of their roster in the second half, making 15 substitutions before the 70th minute. The fresh legs gave Loras the advantage they needed to provide constant defensive pressure on the Norse, which resulted in a number of chances through the run of play.
 
In the 70th minute, Ralph directed his service to the far post connecting with Irwin for the second time. Rather than attempt to force the header on target, Irwin sent it back across the goalmouth where Schmidt was waiting with plenty of space to send home the winner for the Duhawks.
 
The goal came 54 seconds after Schmidt had been brought on.
 
With their backs to the wall, the Norse pushed forward with everything they had in an attempt to equalize. Even with the constant pressure in the attacking third, Luther was unable to direct any of their shots on frame.
 
The win moves Loras to 12-2-1 on the year and remains perfect in the Iowa Conference at 5-0-0.