DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's soccer team needed just one tally on Friday night to defeat the No. 2-seeded University of Dubuque in the 2015 Iowa Conference Tournament Championship match. Junior Alex Bradley converted from inside the six for his fifth game-winning goal of the season.

TURNING POINT
The halftime break proved to be much-needed for both sides as they each made adjustments which led to a fast-paced second half. Loras had the better of the chances for much of the game, outshooting the Spartans 24-6 and owning a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Dubuque (12-6-1) came out and managed to slow up the Loras (14-4-1) attack in the opening half, keeping the Duhawk forwards from dangerous locations, despite allowing 13 total shots. Loras targeted six of their 13 shots on target, but were unable to solve the Spartans goalkeeper, Riley Jensen. In the 14th minute, Dubuque's Tom Murphy struck his shot from near the top of the 18 and earned a deflection, which nearly caught sophomore Jacob Peterson out of position, but a quick reaction allowed the Duhawk goalkeeper to smother the scoring opportunity.

As if a switch had been flipped, the second half opened in quite a different fashion than the first, with both teams have chances in the early goings. Dubuque's Billy Belmonte recorded the first shot of the half in the 47th minute, but Peterson was up to the task once again.

Minutes later, senior Richard Lenke delivered a service to the back post and connected with the head of Bradley, but Jensen made a spectacular save to deny the original offering. Dubuque's clearance only managed to get out to the top of the 18 where senior Justin Giacotto delivered a hard pass on the ground to Bradley directly in front of goal. With a quick turn and shot to the near post, Bradley bested Jensen and put the Duhawks in front, with 40 minutes to play.

Later, in the 64th minute, Dubuque's Kyle Klatka was shown a straight red card after hauling down junior Austin Jacobi on a breakaway attempt. It was Klatka's only option to avoid Loras from doubling their lead. The Duhawks had numerous opportunities the extend their lead with the man-advantage, but either failed to direct their shot on target or were denied by Jensen, who finished with nine saves on the night.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
RICHARD LENKE | In addition to delivering the cross to the back post which eventually led to Loras' goal, Lenke was regularly applying pressure to Dubuque's fullbacks, creating a number of other scoring chances. The senior finished with five totals shots, two of which were on target.

SOUNDBITES | Sam Koenig & Alex Bradley


SOUNDBITES | Dan Rothert


UP NEXT
Loras is the second team in the country to punch their ticket to the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championships, joining the SLIAC Champion, Westminster (Mo.). The Duhawks will learn of their tournament draw on Monday afternoon during the NCAA Selection Show, to be shown on NCAA.com.