November 2, 2007

DUBUQUE, IOWA . . . For the fifth consecutive year, Wartburg and Loras will meet in Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) men’s soccer Tournament Championship match after advancing through their semifinal matches on Friday at Loras College. On the women’s side, Loras and Wartburg advanced through the semifinals and will meet for the women’s Championship for the second time in three years.

The women’s Championship match will be played Saturday at 4:30 p.m. followed by the men’s Championship match at 7:00 p.m. Saturday’s winners will be the Iowa Conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. The Wartburg men have advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of the last four years while the Loras men made their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. Loras and Simpson women are the only IIAC women’s teams to ever appear in the NCAA Tournament. Loras has qualified each of the last six years while Simpson qualified in 1999.

Women’s Semifinal – #2 Wartburg tied #6 Central, 1-1 (advanced on PK, 3-1) Box score
In the first semifinal match, #2-seed Wartburg and #6-seed Central tied 1-1 with Wartburg advancing to the finals in a penalty-kick shootout (3-1). Central got on the board first with a Jenna Hindman goal from 15 yards out in the 6th minute off a pass from Kristi Klatt. Wartburg's Amanda Clayton tied the game with a goal in the 59th minute off an assist from Lauren Thomas. The teams played scoreless soccer during the final 30 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime to send the game to a shootout. Rachel Coleman made two saves for Wartburg, while Michelle Gilbert made 10 saves for the Dutch. Wartburg advances with a 15-3-1 mark, while Central bows out at 10-5-3.

Women’s Semifinal – #1 Loras def. #5 Luther, 4-1 Box score
Top-seeded Loras advanced to its sixth straight Conference Tournament Championship match with a 4-1 win over #5-seed Luther. The Duhawks took a 1-0 lead into the break on a goal in the 32nd minute by Katie Ryan. That lead held until Loras' Lisa Waltz knocked in a shot in the 77th minute from six yards out and then added another from 12 feet out less than a minute later. Luther avoided the shutout with a Lisa Torgerson goal early in the 87th minute off an indirect kick by Emily Ironside. Loras capped the scoring 40 seconds later as Allie Rizzo knocked in a rebound in front of the Luther keeper. Torey Murray made three saves for Loras, picking up the win in goal. Christina Soward made eight saves in defeat for the Norse. Loras advances with a 14-6 mark, while Luther wraps up its season with a 7-12-1 record.

Men’s Semifinal - #1 Loras def. #4 Luther, 5-0 Box score
The Loras men, also top-seeded, secured a spot in the Conference Tournament Championship match for the fourth consecutive year behind a 5-0 win over #4-seed Luther. The Duhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Mike Richter in the fourth minute and Santiago Mejia in the 10th minute. Loras maintained the two-goal advantage until the 55th minute when Miguel Bonilla pushed the lead to 3-0 by converting a penalty kick. Matt Lamale made it 4-0 in the 60th minute with a goal from 10 yards out and A.J. Josephs capped the scoring with a goal in the 87th minute. Richter finished with a goal and two assists to lead the Duhawks. Loras' Nate DuBois captured the win making three saves in nearly 60 minutes of play before giving way to reserve Tom Richlak. Luther's Leif Madsen made five saves but allowed four Duhawk goals to take the loss. Loras improved to 19-0-1, while Luther capped its season at 8-10-2.

Men’s Semifinal - #2 Wartburg tied #3 Central, 2-2 (advanced on PK, 5-3) Box score
The second-seeded Wartburg men reached their sixth consecutive Iowa Conference postseason tournament final with a 2-2 double overtime tie and 5-3 penalty kick shootout win over Central. After playing a scoreless first half, the Knights netted the game's first goal as Byung Yi scored in the 65th minute off a free kick. The Dutch knotted the score in the 69th minute as Brett McKenzie scored an unassisted goal. Josh Palmer put Wartburg back in front in the 78th minute, capitalizing on a scramble on the goal line off an assist from Geoff Miller. The Dutch scrambled in the final minutes of regulation, drawing even just inside the 90th minute when Clint Schreiber coverted a penalty kick. With the result still unresolved after 20 minutes of overtime, the game moved into a penalty-kick shootout. Wartburg midfielder Casey Johnson ended the penalty kick shootout with a shot just past the right side of Dutch goalkeeper Greg Foote. The Knights, now 15-2-2, will face Loras in the championship final for the fifth consecutive year (Wartburg holds a 3-1 advantage), while Central closed out its season at 14-4-3.

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