DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the Loras men's soccer team has the opportunity to avenge two of their three losses from 2014 when they take on St. Thomas and UW-Platteville. The Duhawks return to Iowa Conference play on Saturday when they travel to Storm Lake, Iowa to play Buena Vista.
SCOUTING THE TOMMIES •••A seesaw of a season has seen St. Thomas record wins against traditional Minnesota powers Gustavus Adolphus and St. Olaf while dropping matches when in less than ideal form. Their first half form has been solid on the year, limiting opponents to two goals. To date, opponents have found better success in the second half, scoring 11 of their 14 goals. Miles Stockman Willis leads the Tommies with six goals and six assists. In goal, Grant Larson and Aidan Hogan split time, combining for a five shutouts in 13 matches.
ALL-TIME AGAINST ST. THOMAS •••Neither side has an advantage in the all-time series. In six meetings, Loras and St. Thomas have each won three times. The Duhawks won in 2009 and 2010 before dropping last year's match, 2-1.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST ST. THOMAS •••The Tommies are responsible for ending Loras' home winning streak, defeating the Duhawks in the Rock Bowl last season, 2-1. St. Thomas jumped out to a two-goal lead and packed their defense in while Loras scrambled to equalize. After falling behind in the fifth minute, the Duhawks found themselves on the short end of the stick, pinging both a penalty kick and a free kick off the post.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS •••Logan Rinderknecht and Jon Stopple lead the UW-Platteville attack, each scoring six goals on the year. The two have combined to tally five of their eight game-winning goals for the Pioneers. Last time out, UWP upset 17th-ranked UW-Oshkosh, 3-2. Wyatt Gilson picked a good time for his first goal of the season, scoring the game-winner in the 83rd minute.
ALL-TIME AGAINST UWP •••The Pioneers own a winning form against Loras all-time, 14-13-2. In the 2012 season, UWP handed the Duhawks their first loss of the season, but it was Loras who earned the return victory in the Rock Bowl during the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST UWP •••Last season, the Pioneers were 1-nil winners over the Duhawks, scoring the game-winning goal in extra time. Loras outshot UWP 24-11, including 12-4 in shots on goal, but it was Mbodje Sarr's strike in the 92nd minute that lift the Pioneers to victory.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS •••The Beaver offense has been limited for most of the season, averaging only 1.3 goals per game. Freshman Marcus Krause has paced the offense with 12 points (4G-4A). Fellow freshman Jake Hutto has been the man in goal for Buena Vista, but has struggled to keep the ball out of the back of the net, checking in with a 2.62 goals against average.
ALL-TIME AGAINST BUENA VISTA •••Saturday will be the 19th meeting all-time between Loras and Buena Vista, with Loras holding a 14-4-0 margin in the win column. The Duhawks' winning streak agaist the Beavers dates back to the 2004 season.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST BUENA VISTA •••The 2014 meeting between Loras and Buena Vista ended in decisive fashion for the Duhawks, winning 6-nil in the Rock Bowl.
Mike Pizzello recorded a brace for his seventh and eighth goals of the season. Loras outshot the Beavers 32-1, including 15-1 on goal.
BLEMISH-FREE IN IIAC •••Through five games of their Iowa Conference schedule, Loras is a perfect 5-0-0. In the preseason poll, Loras and Wartburg were favorites to win the conference, but a 2-nil decision made clear who of the two teams had more quality. All that remains on the schedule for the Duhawks are Buena Vista and Dubuque, two teams that Loras has four combined losses to in the history of their program.
PLAYING THE BEST DIII HAS TO OFFER •••Heading into the home stretch of the 2015 regular season, the Duhawks rank fifth in Division III for strength of schedule. Luther is the closest IIAC school at No. 23.
STINGY DEFENSE BACK IN FULL FORCE •••In the last month of play, dating back to Sept. 26, Loras has conceded three goals while scoring 19 of their own. Up until the 77th minute against Luther, the Duhawks had yet to concede in Iowa Conference play.
FREE KICK WIZARD •••Four of
Jorge Simon's five goals this season have come via free kick, often times giving Loras an early lead. No matter the location or the number of defenders opponents put in their wall, Simon has confidence in his right foot to score at will.
SHARING THE LOVE •••In 13 games, Loras has scored 31 goals for an average of 2.38 per match. Even more impressive though, is that the Duhawks have recorded 29 assists on those 31 goals.
NO GOAL PATROL •••With
Jacob Peterson in goal and a senior-heavy backline, Loras leads the Iowa Conference in shutouts with six.
