DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras women's soccer team will be back in action for the first time in seven days on Saturday when they travel to Wartburg for round three of the Iowa Conference schedule.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS •••
The Knights enter Saturday's Iowa Conference contest with a 7-4-1 overall record and a 1-1-0 mark in conference play. From the comforts of Waverly, Wartburg is 4-1-1, compared to 3-3-0 when on the road. Morgan Neusdorf leads the Knights' attack, leading the team with six goals and one assist for 13 points. Similar to Loras, Wartburg has benefited from the vision of their offensive players, resulting in 11 assists on 24 goals. In goal, Beth Crow has played every minute of the 2015 season to date, registering a 1.06 goals against average, a .783 save percentage and a 6-4-1 record.

LAST TIME OUT AGAINST WARTBURG •••
In their only meeting in 2014, Wartburg spoiled senior day for Loras, defeating the Duhawks 3-nil in the Rock Bowl. The Knights outshot the Duhawks by a 17-11 margin and put 14 of their 17 shots on target.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST WARTBURG •••
Loras is 20-4-5 all-time against Wartburg, dating back to 1995. Prior to the 2014 meeting, the Duhawks had won the previous five meetings, and were unbeaten in the previous seven meetings. Wartburg's last win came on Sept. 27, 2008 in Waverly by score of 2-nil.

BULLDOZING OPPOSING DEFENSES •••
Senior Katie Truesdale has put up incredible stats again through the first half of the 2015 season. In 11 games played, she has tailed 11 goals and three assists for 25 points. Additionally, Truesdale has been average 4.09 shots per game, which is one of the main reasons why her goal total is on pace to shatter last year's mark. When Truesdale finds herself within 30 yards of goal, time and time again she has shown that she can put a hard shot on target.

KICKING IT WHEN IT COUNTS •••
Senior Danielle Vujovic has been a strong force for the Duhawks this season. She has appeared and started in all 11 games for Loras. While senior Katie Truesdale leads the team in categories such as shots and goals, Vujovic has shown the ability to score when her team needs it the most. Vujovic enters the weekend with three game-winning goals and eight total for the season.

UNDERCLASSMEN STEPPING UP •••
While seniors Katie Truesdale and Danielle Vujovic have been the ones to put the biscuit in the basket, they owe a lot of their success to the dynamic play of the underclassmen on the roster. Sophomore Gretchen Schutz leads the team in assists with six, including one assist on a game-winning goal. Right behind Schutz is sophomore Riley O'Neill who has contributed four assists on the year, including two on game-winning goals.

LENDING A HELPING HAND •••
The Duhawks have had an overwhelming lead in the assist category all season. Loras has assists on 21 goals so far while opposing teams have only assisted on 9 in total. Four players on the roster have registered three or more assists. Being able to weave passes through and score keeps opposing teams guessing has been a key to the success during the first half of the season.

SENIOR STARS SHINING •••
The offensive attack for the Duhawks in 2015 has been led so far by the dynamic duo of senior forwards Katie Truesdale and Danielle Vujovic. These two Class of 2016 strikers have combined for 19 of the 26 goals so far this season for the Duhawks, a stat which has played a large part in the Duhawks' current 6-3-2 record. In addition, Truesdale (11G) and Vujovic (8G) rank first and second in the Iowa Conference for goals scored so far in the 2015 campaign.

VUJOVIC NAMED D3 WOMEN'S SOCCER HERO OF THE WEEK •••
Senior Danielle Vujovic was named the herosports.com D3 Women's Soccer Gem of the Week on Sept. 23, 2015. In the Duhawks 2OT victory over Augustana last week, Vojovic tacked on a pair of goals which included the game-winner. On the season, the senior has recorded seven goals on 23 shots, which is good for a .304 shooting percentage and a .522 percentage when taking a shot on goal. In addition to her seven goals, the senior has also assisted on one to bring her seaosn points total to 15. Vujovic has bounced back after being injured last season and has provided the Duhawks with two game-winning goals.

GOAL SCORING FRENZY •••
The Duhawks have not had any trouble scoring goals this season due in part to the impressive performances of seniors Katie Truesdale and Danielle Vujovic. As a team, Loras is ranked third among the Iowa Conference competitors in goals per game, averaging 2.45. Truesdale (1.00 gpg) and Vujovic (0.73 gpg) individually lead the conference holding first and second place, respectively.

DUHAWKS PICKED TO FINISH FOURTH IN IIAC PRESEASON POLL •••
A year removed from coming off four straight Iowa Conference Championships, the Loras Women's Soccer team finds itself picked to finish fourth in this year's preseason poll, the IIAC announced on Thursday, Aug. 27.

ROTHERT BEGINS 18TH SEASON AT THE HELM •••
Head Coach Dan Rothert begins his 18th season as the skipper of the Loras Women's Soccer team, and brings with him a career record of 259-91-20, including nine IIAC Championships and 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. In combination with his form as the men's skipper, Rothert owns a total career record of 531-180-44.

FOLLOWING THE TREND •••
The last time Loras was picked to finish fourth in the IIAC preseason poll was 2010, following a season that saw the Duhawks bounced from the IIAC Tournament in penalties by University of Dubuque. The season that ensued saw Loras rattle off 14 straight contests without a loss. That team, which finished the season at 22-1-1, were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on penalties against Otterbein.