PELLA, Iowa – Battling through some late game drama, the Loras College Duhawks are the outright regular season American Rivers Conference Champions after defeating the Central College Dutch 2-1 on Tuesday afternoon.
Sitting at 1-1 near the end of regulation,
Reed Miklavcic had a goal that pushed the Purple and Gold to the dramatic victory, clinching the program's second-straight regular season crown and 15
th overall title in school history.
Loras' victory not only clinches the title, but also gives the Duhawks (11-3-4 overall, 6-2 A-R-C) the No. 1 overall seed in the A-R-C Tournament and allows the program to host the conference semifinals and championship match. Loras will receive a first round bye in the six-team conference tournament, which is slated to start on Saturday, Oct. 28.
Central (7-8-2, 3-5) started the scoring in the match's 24
th minute when Nolan Piedimonte found the back of the net off an assist from Carter Newhouse. The Dutch rode the 1-0 lead into the half, limiting Loras to just five shots over the first 45 minutes.
Nearly halfway through the second half,
Alex Beausoleil was awarded a penalty kick and made the most of the opportunity, putting Loras on the board in the 67
th minute, setting the stage for Miklavcic to score the game-winning goal off
Ethan Kelly's assist in the 87
th minute.
Sam Koenig's Duhawks wrap up the regular season 5-1 on the road in his first year as head coach, including having won the final three road contests of the season.
Game Notes
- The Duhawks held the advantage in shots (12-7) and shots on goal (7-3).
- Loras also led the way in corner kicks by a wide margin of 13-4.
- With Loras' first title coming in 2003, the Duhawks have been crowned champions in 15 of the last 20 seasons.
Up Next: With the bye, the program's first tournament game will be a semifinal match on Wednesday, Nov. 1 against the winner of the No. 4-seed and No. 5-seed matchup. Final seeds will not be determined until the conclusion of play this evening across the conference.
The A-R-C Championship match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 4 at the highest seed remaining. The tournament champion will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.
Scoring Summary
Loras: 2 (1
st Half – 0 | 2
nd Half – 0)
Central: 1 (1
st Half – 1 | 2
nd Half – 2)
Individual Scoring
Nolan Piedimonte (CEN) at 24:59 (Assisted by Carter Newhouse)
Alex Beausoleil (Loras) at 67:17 (Penalty Kick)
Reed Miklavcic (Loras) at 87:05 (Assisted by
Ethan Kelly)
Goalkeeper Saves
Loras:
Ben Krogman – 2 (90 Minutes)
Central: Ronan Murphy – 5 (90 Minutes)
Yellow Cards
Nathan Haberli (Loras) at 68:44
Zach Holton (CEN) at 75:47
