ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Loras College women's soccer team takes on the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles in a Sweet Sixteen matchup tomorrow afternoon at Francis Olympic Field on the Washington University in St. Louis campus.
The Eagles currently hold a 19-1-1 record and posted a 7-0-0 mark in WIAC play. Their only loss came at the hands of Christopher Newport University, who has earned a spot as one of the top six teams in the nation every week since the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll was released on Aug. 1. UW-La Crosse punched its ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament following a pair of wins in the WIAC Tournament, with the first coming over UW-Stevens Point in the semifinals and UW-Platteville in the championship. The Eagles earned a 1-0 victory over UW-Superior in the Round of 64 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with a 3-1 win over Simpson College last Sunday.
Ainsley Allan has led the La Crosse offensive attack this season with nine goals and one assist. Claire Cater and Natalie Schisel have each netted five goals and dished out six and five assists, respectively, while Sophia Anger has recorded 15 shutouts in goal for the Eagles. As a team, La Crosse has outscored its opponents 59-7.
Loras owns an 18-1-1 record and finished with an 8-0-0 mark in American Rivers Conference play for the third consecutive season. The only loss the Duhawks suffered this season came early in the year against Carroll University. Since then, the Purple and Gold have dominated the competition. In regular season play, Loras has outscored opponents, 54-4, and has continued to command the game offensively in the postseason by adding in 10 more goals to just two goals allowed.
The Duhawks earned the automatic bid to the national tournament after garnering the A-R-C Tournament title on Nov. 4. Loras took down the University of Dubuque, 3-0, in the semifinals and came up big in a penalty kick shootout over Simpson College in the championship match. The Purple and Gold advanced to the Sweet Sixteen following a 4-0 first round victory over Lake Forest College and a 2-1 double overtime victory over the University of Chicago in the round of 32.
Savannah Johnson has been the catalyst for the Duhawk offense all season. The conference's Offensive MVP has totaled 24 goals and 12 assists for 60 points.
Julia Neary put the ball in the back of the net seven times to go along with eight assists, while
Bella Talbot and
Hannah Schmitz scored five goals apiece to go along with having added seven and six assists, respectively, to their season totals.
The last time these two squads met was in 2021 in an Elite Eight match. The contest ended in a 2-2 draw, with the Duhawks advancing to the Final Four for the first time in program history following a 4-3 victory in penalty kicks.
Loras and UW-La Crosse will face off on the pitch tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. The winner of the contest will play the winner of the Washington University and Calvin University match in the Elite Eight on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 1:00 p.m.
