DUBUQUE, IOWA (Duhawks.com) – Loras returned to the Rock Bowl Thursday ready to avenge their loss at home last Sunday against St. Thomas. Despite getting off to a slow start to the night, the Duhawks scored three unanswered goals in the second half to lead them past the Maroons 3-2. Senior Mike Pizzello put the Duhawks on the board in the 52' followed by the equalizer in the 59' by junior Jorge Simon. Senior JD Perez netted the game-winner in the 104' to lift the Duhawks to victory.
 
For the fourth consecutive game, the Duhawks found themselves behind in the first half. University of Chicago made it on the board in the 13' with a goal from Andre Abedian after Chris Mathis broke up the near sideline and sent the ball into the box for Abedian. Just under 10 minutes later, Brenton-Neal Desai scored an unassisted goal in the 22' putting the Maroons up 2-0. Desai capitalized on a broke play in which Loras goalkeeper Adam Roloff collided with senior fullback Mitch Burgmeier outside of the 18.
 
The quick, technical play of Chicago kept the Duhawks at bay for the entirety of the first half, despite Loras playing every man on their roster.
 
"They were a much more technical team than what we are used to seeing," Perez said. "Even with coach making a lot of subs, we couldn't find our game."
 
Loras came out in the second half with a completely different energy attacking the Maroons straight from the whistle. Junior Matt Brant stepped to the line for a long throw in the 52' that found Pizzello at the back post where he slipped it side netting to put the Duhawks on the board and cut Chicago's lead in half.
 
"We knew we only needed one goal to get us back in the game, so we got the guys focused on the task at hand," Pucci said.
 
With the new-found energy the Duhawks after their goal, they kept attacking the Maroons leading to another goal just seven minutes later. Dillon Olson pursued a ball in the box in the 59' which made him the victim of a collision with Chicago goalkeeper Brett Wiesen. Olson earned a PK which brought Simon to the penalty spot for a chance at revenge after he missed his first attempt earlier in the season. With the perfect touch, Simon slotted home the winner to level the sides at two. The remaining 31 minutes of the second half were dominated by the Duhawks but they were unable to find the back of the net for a third time, meriting their first overtime game of the year.
 
"At halftime, the coaches said that we needed to go out there and get a win, and that was the difference," said Perez.
 
Neither side could gain the upper hand in the first overtime, despite numerous chances from Loras. Perez ripped a shot in the 97', but Wiesen stood tall and turned it away. Loras added two corner kicks in the first period of extra time, but with the sides level after 10 minutes, the match moved to a second overtime.
 
A minute into the second overtime, Perez halted the flow of play, pulling Desai down and earning himself a yellow card. Chicago was unable to do anything with the ensuing free kick, which proved Perez' play to be the right move.
 
Minutes later, a blocked shot by senior Josh Kutzke started the Loras counter-attack. Freshman Spencer Moore fed sophomore Alex Bradley with a leading pass to the near sideline. With a crossover to his left, Bradley made three Maroon defenders miss and sent a pass into the box. Moore, who joined the rush, had his pass bounce out to Perez who ripped the winner from the corner of the 18 to lift the Duhawks to victory.
 
"Spencer found me out wide and I just wanted to aim for the bottom right corner, hit it as hard as I could, and it went in," Perez said.
 
The win moves Loras to 7-1 on the year and gets them back on the winning track at home. The Duhawks will host UW-Oshkosh on Sunday for an afternoon tilt. The Titans are 4-3 overall after dropping a 2-nil decision to MSOE on Wednesday.