Oct. 25, 2022 – Any number of points would do the job for the Loras College men's soccer team on Tuesday night as the Duhawks tied 2-2 with Wartburg College to clinch the outright American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Regular Season Championship.

The Duhawks (9-5-2, 5-1-2 A-R-C) entered Tuesday night's matchup knowing that a win or a tie versus the Knights 7-1-9, 3-0-5 A-R-C) would clinch the title, and the Duhawks managed just that to earn the program's 14^th conference title and the first since 2018.

Both sides slugged it out on Tuesday in a physical rivalry match that saw close to 30 total fouls and six yellow cards issued. The Duhawks edged out the Knights 20-16 in total shots and earned six corner kick chances to Wartburg's three.

Loras dug itself an early hole when Wartburg's Anzuruni Kimba put the Knights ahead 1-0 in just the eighth minute of the game. Wartburg's early goal came before the Duhawks had even attempted a shot in the contest.

The Duhawks evened the score in the 19^th minute as sophomore midfielder Michael Koutsopanagos cashed in on a pass from Bryan Basinger. Basinger lofted a pass toward the far post and beyond the reach of Knights defenders and the goalkeeper Brennon Woody as Koutsopanagos just managed to get a piece for the game-tying score.

Loras came close to taking the lead multiple times over the next 20 minutes of action as a couple of bounced just didn't got the way of the Duhawks, including a shot off the post in the 37^th minute by senior midfielder Michael Brandt.  

The Duhawks finally managed to take the lead as the sophomore midfielder Basinger added another assist in the 41^st minute, this time to senior defender Jared Block. Basinger's third assist and Block's second goal of the year gave Loras a 2-1 lead that carried into the halftime break.

Wartburg evened the score back up early in the second period as Caleb Halleran scored on a rebound chance after a shot from Kimba hit the post and bounced straight back toward the center of the box. That unlucky break for Loras sent them to a tie rather that a win to clinch the regular season title.

Loras will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming A-R-C Tournament and will get a first-round bye. The reigning tournament champions will begin their title defense when they host a semifinal game on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at the Rock Bowl. Opponent and start time will be determined at a later date.