DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The 19th-ranked Loras women's soccer team advanced to Saturday's Iowa Conference Tournament Championship following a 3-1 victory over Wartburg on Wednesday night. Senior Gretchen Schutz opened the scoring with her seventh of the season and later added an assist on the match-winner by senior Lauren Bolnius.

STARTING XI
00 - Coble / 4 - Schutz / 9 - Wright
10 - Mills / 14 - O'Neill / 18 - Stanfa
19 - Anderson / 21 - Bolnius / 23 - Walsh
24 - O'Neill / 28 - Brant

POST MATCH COMMENTARY (Link)


MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
-After one half of play, both teams came to a stalemate as it was level at 0-0 after one half of play … The Duhawks outshot the Knights 13-2 in the half
-In the 58th minute, senior Gretchen Schutz lofted a 40-yard shot that bounced over the outstretched arms of the Wartburg keeper and tucked neatly under the crossbar
-The Knights answered back in the 68th minute as Morgan Neuendorf slotted her free kick to the far corner
-For her seventh goal of the year, as well as her first match-winner of the season, senior Lauren Bolnius knocked in the loose ball off of a corner kick from fellow senior Gretchen Schutz
-Junior Elizabeth Mills added an insurance tally for the Duhawks in the 78th minute, her 10th of the season

NOTABLES
-After tallying three points in the match, coming from one goal and one assist, senior Gretchen Schutz surpassed her career high point total from a season ago, which was 21 points and now has 24 points this season … The Lodi, Wis. native scored her seventh goal of the season, which tied her career-high in a season
-With Wednesday's victory, Loras defeated Wartburg for the first time since 2013
-The Duhawks find themselves back in the IIAC Tournament Championship match after falling in the semifinal a season ago … This is the third time in five years that Loras will appear in the tournament final

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME - ELIZABETH MILLS
The Peoria Notre Dame prep was all over the pitch on Wednesday, matching her career-high with 10 shots with six on target … In her three-year career, Mills now has 19 goals and 16 assists for 54 points and is averaging one point per appearance

UP NEXT
The Duhawks are set to host Luther on Saturday in the IIAC Tournament Championship with the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament on the line. Luther advanced past second-seeed Dubuque on Wednesday night via penalties after drawing level at 1-1. Kickoff from inside the Rock Bowl is scheduled for 1 p.m.