November 3, 2007

DUBUQUE, IOWA . . . Loras College men and Wartburg College women received the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) automatic bids to the NCAA soccer Tournaments with 1-0 victories in their respective Championship matches Saturday evening at the Rock Bowl on the campus of Loras College.

Men's Championship - #1 Loras def. #2 Wartburg, 1-0 (Box Score)
In the fifth consecutive men’s final between Wartburg and Loras, the Duhawks came away with single-goal victory on Miguel Bonilla's goal from 25 yards out in the 41st minute to secure Loras' third consecutive trip to the National Tournament. Nate DuBois made five saves to record the win, while Trent Michael made four stops in the loss for Wartburg. Loras improved to 20-0-1 on the year with its second IIAC Tournament title in three years. Wartburg drops to 15-3-2.

The Knights maintain hopes of receiving a Pool C bid to the NCAA men’s field. The national field will be announced on Sunday, November 4 and the bracket will be released on Monday.

Women's Championship - #2 Wartburg def. #1 Loras, 1-0 (Box Score)
In the women’s championship match, Wartburg junior forward Rachel Oswald, a Dubuque native, netted the game's lone goal in the 78th minute off an assist from Amber Bennett to send the Knights to their first-ever NCAA Tournament. Rachel Coleman made three saves in net for Wartburg, while Loras' Torey Murray notched 11 saves in defeat. Wartburg improves to 16-3-1 overall and awaits word on its NCAA Tournament match-up. Loras closes out its season at 14-7.

The 60-team NCAA women’s field will be announced on Sunday and the bracket will be released on Monday.