Nov. 12, 2022 – We've seen some incredible performances out of the No. 15/10 Loras College women's soccer team this season, but nothing can compare to what we saw from senior forward Ryleigh O'Brien on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Hampton, Ill. native scored an improbable five goals on a cold, snow-flurry day to mark a new career-high and send the Duhawks into the second round with a 7-1 win over the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

The Duhawks (17-0-3) led for almost the entirety of the game after a goal in the first two minutes made the Yellowjackets (15-4-4) play from behind right from the jump. The loss to the Duhawks in the Rock Bowl ends a solid season for UW-Superior after it earned its way into the national tournament by winning the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament last weekend.

Despite her unbelievable performance, it was not O'Brien who got the Duhawks on the board in the game's second minute. Instead, it was junior forward Bella Talbot who struck for her fourth goal on the year on a sizzling shot past the reach of the Yellowjacket goalkeeper.

Talbot's early goal set the tone for the entire first half as O'Brien tallied her first goal of the game in the ninth minute before Superior's Mya Holmquist found the net for her 21^st goal of the season.

With less than 10 minutes gone, the game had already seen three shots find nylon.

From that point on the story was all O'Brien as she rattled off three more first-half goals before completing the five-goal day with a final one in the 59^th minute. While she didn't get credited with the goal, a Superior own goal in the 28^th minute of the game was a direct result of a hard crossing pass from O'Brien.

The pass ricocheted off a Yellowjackets defender and in, making O'Brien responsible for six of Loras' seven goals in the game, which ties a season-high output for the Duhawk offense in 2022.

Loras advances to the Round of 32 tomorrow, Sunday Nov. 13, where it will host (RV) Ohio Nothern University at 3 P.M. in the Rock Bowl in Dubuque. The Polar Bears defeated the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 1-0 in the opening round on Saturday afternoon to advance.