DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's soccer teams opens postseason play on Wednesday night when they host Simpson in the semifinal round of the Iowa Conference Tournament.
SCOUTING THE STORM •••Simpson has peaked at the right time, undefeated in their last five matches. In the Iowa Conference Tournament First Round match against Wartburg, the Storm tallied the equalizer with 14 seconds remaining to send the match into extra time. In penalties, the Storm edged the Knights 6-5 to advance to Wednesday's semifinal.
ALL-TIME AGAINST SIMPSON •••In Loras' program history, the Duhawks own a 19-5-1 record against Simpson. The Storm's last victory came in 2002 in the Iowa Conference Tournament semifinal.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST SIMPSON •••It was all Loras in the regular season matchup, as the Duhawks cruised to a 3-nil decision on the backs of
Justin Giacotto,
Bryan Irwin and
Mike Gordon. All three goals were scored via header, with Giacotto and Irwin netting their first winners of the season.
Jacob Peterson stopped all three shots he faced to post the clean sheet.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS ••• The Duhawks have always been a tradition-rich team in defense. From their "swarm" and "no goal patrol" mentalities, the 2015 season has not been any different. During the course of the regular season in conference play, opponents have only found the back of the net twice, once by Luther and once by Dubuque. Sophomore
Jacob Peterson has seen fairly limited action in 2015 only because the defense in front of him limits opponents to 9.0 shots per game.
SUPER SENIOR CLASS •••For a program that has a very rich history like the Loras College men's soccer team, breaking records requires time and special circumstances to achieve that. However, with their win over Dubuque and another regular season conference championship, the 2015 senior class has done exactly that. Compiling an impressive 27-1-0 conference record over the last four season, the 2015 Duhawk seniors became only the second team in Iowa Conference history to win four consecutive regular season conference championships. In addition to their conference dominance, this year's senior class has posted an amazing 42-2-4 record at home over the last four years.
THE BRADLEY AND RUMMELHART EFFECT•••There's no question that having a healthy
Alex Bradley and Johnny Rummelheart has made an impact for the 2015 Loras men's soccer team. Both were lost for majority of the 2014 season, including both the Iowa Conference and NCAA Tournaments. To date in the 2015 campaign, Bradley and Rummelhart each have four goals and four assists, placing them second on the team with 12 points. Heading into Wednesday's IIAC Tournament semifinal game against Simpson and with the NCAA Tournament starting next week, having
Alex Bradley and Johnny Rummelheart makes the Duhawks a serious contender for a deep run into the postseason.
MOORE MAKING MOVES •••Sophomore
Spencer Moore has had an impressive season thus far for the Duhawks. Moore has started and played in all 17 games so far this season and has tallied four goals and four assists. Moore averages 1.76 shots per game which has helped in his success with the Duhawks this season. The Arlington Heights product has used his speed and versatility to help the Duhawks with their success thus far.
BALANCE OF FORCES •••The men's soccer team did not attain their 10th Iowa Conference Championship by offense or defense alone. The team has found an impressive balance that has contributed to their success so far in the 2015 campaign. Offensively, Loras leads the Iowa Conference in goals (2.59) and assists (2.12) per game. Defensively, the Duhawks top the leader board in goals allowed by allowing a total of 15 goals for an average of less than a goal per game (0.88). This balance of skill on both ends of the pitch has been successful for the team so far and will continue to be crucial as the Duhawks enter tournament play.
SURGING SIMON •••Senior
Jorge Simon has turned out another terrific season to this point. Last season, he started 16 games and completed the season with a career-high seven goals and added an assist. This season, he has reached a new career-high in goals with eight and has added two assists. The second half of the year has been good to Simon, who has tallied six of his eight goals in the last six contests. The Duhawks will need Simon to carry his hot streak into the postseason if they hope to make a deep run int he NCAA Tournament.
UNPREDICTABLE STARS •••So far this season 15 different Duhawks have accounted for the 44 goals that Loras has scored. The diversity in attack has kept opponents on their toes and aware of multiple threats. With 21 assists in conference the Duhawks have been able to efficiently work the ball around and dominate in conference play.
