Contact: Nathan Cameron, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7243

Sept. 20, 2021 - Playing their second game in just three three days time, the No. 20 Loras College women's soccer team (7-0-1, 0-0-0 A-R-C) was back at the Rock Bowl Monday evening as they faced the Bethel University Royals (3-4-0, 1-1-0 MIAC). The Duhawks made easy work of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) foe, holding them to just one shot in the 90 minutes and posting five goals to take a 5-0 win, earning their fourth victory in a row. 

The first 20 minutes of the game saw the Duhawks own the attacking end, but nothing came to fruition until the 22nd minute as Hannah Schmitz took a throw in for Loras, passing to Emily Perhats who immediately dished it back out to Schmitz, who placed a ball in the box to Ryleigh O'Brien who headed the ball into the back of the net for her first goal of the season. 

The Duhawks continued to hammer the net, again seeing the work pay off in the 35th minute as Brynn Jacobi lined up for a throw in that hit off a Bethel defender to the head of Caitlin Farrell who found Erin Rieckens in front of the net, giving Loras a two goal advantage.

In the closing minutes of the first half, a Bethel foul awarded Loras a free kick, in which American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Defensive Player of the Week Payton McDonnell squared up for. McDonnell put the ball on net hoping to find a head to put on the ball, but the pass came up short and bounced over Bethel goalkeeper Izzy Smith to put the Duhawks up comfortably at 3-0 going into the half. 

It didn't take the Duhawks long into the second half to put another ball in the back of the net, as McDonnell lined up to take a corner. As has been a familiar scene before, McDonnell put a perfect ball in the air into the box for Abby Eriksen to head past the goalkeeper, the same scenario that saw the Duhawks secure a double overtime victory just two days prior against Illinois Wesleyan University. 

With a four goal lead, freshman forward Kendall Wendt carried the ball down the right side of the field and fed a pass into the box for Kaighin Frost to put past Bethel's Megan Duff to see the Duhawks soar past the Royals 5-0. 

Offensively the Duhawks bullied the Royals at the net, taking 25 shots in the game with ten on net, holding Bethel to a single shot on net that goalkeeper Megan Wick swallowed up for the one keeper save in the game. 

Eriksen's goal in the 54th minute marked her seventh goal on the season, a good enough total to place her atop the A-R-C in goals scored. McDonnell continues to impress on assists, recording her eighth assist on the season to see her third all-time in program history in assists with 36. O'Brien and McDonnell each notched their first goals of the season while both Rieckens and Frost netted their third on the year. 

The Duhawks are back in action on Saturday, Sept. 25 as they kick off their A-R-C schedule in Lincoln, Neb. against the Prairie Wolves from Nebraska Wesleyan University. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM at Abel Stadium.