As we head into the 2016 season just came across the Loras College Varsity Roster....
Must be final roster seeing they had two preseason matches.
Wow..8 Freshman on the roster and a third goalie
Whose gonna step it up this year? Are they going to play direct ball again or more of a control match this year? Who were the transfers that came in this year?
http://duhawks.com/roster.aspx?path=msoc (http://duhawks.com/roster.aspx?path=msoc)
The next team, after Amherst (who got the monkey off their backs) which is due for a championship.
Go ahead and throw Oneonta in there as well.
Duhawks new faces are looking pretty good. Freshman are playing like they have been here before. Transfers are gelling well. Loras pulled their starters early in the first after going up 2-0. I know it's their first official match, but I am pleasantly surprised.
Overall, liked what I saw tonight for a season-opener. I'm sure Rothert will tighten things up and work on, you guessed it, finishing with the gents. Tonight could've been 4-0 or 5-0. Thought the intensity dropped off in the second half.
Any day is a good day when you walk off with a win.
Carroll's keeper was on his "A" game last night. without him it would have easily been 5-0, that guy made some really nice saves and field decisions.
Wow, I just saw the Wartburg v GAC score, that would have been an exciting match to watch! When is the last time GAC gave up 5 goals? It has to have been many years.
Quote from: KICKIN95 on September 02, 2016, 04:25:18 PM
Wow, I just saw the Wartburg v GAC score, that would have been an exciting match to watch! When is the last time GAC gave up 5 goals? It has to have been many years.
Game was an absolute track meet. Wartburg looked fast. Finished well. GAC goal keepers were well out of position on 2 of the goals.
GAC has a very young back line and they looked it. Caught ball watching a few times, leaving back post wide open for easy finish. GAC looked strong when they had the ball on their foot.
Wartburg deserved the win in what was a pretty even match.
Watched the Loras-Albion game this afternoon. Loras took it 4-1 and Albion didn't put up much of a fight. I watched the Carroll game online and my stream wasn't the best so I didn't get a good sense for what the Duhawks were like. In person I was pretty impressed. They are really young but the youngsters are impressive. I'm most impressed with Histed in the middle. There were flashes of Cavers-esque qualities to him but he seems more aggressive and athletic. I'm looking forward to seeing him develop in the next 4 years. O'Connell didn't get a lot of playing time up front but he impressed with a couple absolute crackers from the right side, one of which might have went in (Loras team was celebrating with the bench while play continued... awkward scene) and another that was blasted off the crossbar moments later. I hope Bradley is okay as he didn't play after his second quick goal of the game when he got up very slowly, but if he can continue to put in a goal (or two) every game and carries this team on his broad shoulders I think they'll do alright. I fully expect that there will be some moments against stronger sides where the Duhawk inexperience might show, especially in back with a first-year sweeper, but if the freshman and sophomores develop and the team gels this team could go deep again. And watch out the next few years!
I saw Bradley afterwards, I don't think he was injured it was more of a don't need to risk anything. He could have racked up a couple more himself by the looks of the Albion sides back line. Histed is very good and for a first yeat he is phenomenal, but comparing him to Cavers is a bit of a stretch. Great compliment, but a long way to go to prove he's worthy to be in that company. I went back and watched O'Connell's goal, it was clearly in upon review. I spoke to the AR that decided to "no call" and he said that Loras was warned about the wheels the goals are attached to and that the ball may not be completely across the line and still could hit one of them. Weak sauce in my opinion, the net moved considerably and it the ball hits the net it has to be completely across the line.
I'm not saying that Histed is the 2nd coming of Cavers but in the 8 years I've been in town I don't remember seeing a freshman play at Loras who combines the skills, athletic ability and aggression of Histed, and especially not in the middle and ESPECIALLY not this early in the season. There's significant potential for him to develop into a dominant player in midfield. His HS classmate, Rife, looks like he might be a good complement in the middle once he gets adjusted to the pace of the college game. I wonder if there's any other ranked team playing as many freshmen...
I hope Histed does turn out to be like Cavers, with his height he could add the one dimension Kevin couldn't dominate (the Air game). I am a fan of all the youngsters, I think this season will be exciting. I can't guarantee, but I am pretty confident there isn't a program with this many freshman playing, let alone a program with the pedigree and level of play that Loras has.
Quote from: KICKIN95 on September 06, 2016, 11:35:55 AM
I hope Histed does turn out to be like Cavers, with his height he could add the one dimension Kevin couldn't dominate (the Air game). I am a fan of all the youngsters, I think this season will be exciting. I can't guarantee, but I am pretty confident there isn't a program with this many freshman playing, let alone a program with the pedigree and level of play that Loras has.
Histed is listed at only 5'7 on the loras website...pretty little, unless that's a typo. sounds like the DuHawks have reloaded nicely, though.
IIAC
Loras 2-0-0 ... Wins over Carroll and Albion don't look that good on paper, but with teams backing out of playing Loras, they'll have to take care of business on the home front. With the number of freshmen on the roster, good to get two wins under their belt.
ud 2-0-0 ... Pair of shutouts over Monmouth and St. Olaf. At first glance, the STO win looks good, but their ranking is solely indicative of where they finished last year. First real test will be MSOE on 9/17
Luther 2-0-0 ... Wins over Hamline and Carleton and have Saint John's and UWW coming up, followed by WashU and Macalester. If they do well there and finish in top two of conference, they could be in position for a bid.
Simpson 2-0-0 ... Wins over Bethel and Westminster. First real test could be Saint John's but then also have UWW later in the year. Could see them at No. 3 or No. 4
Wartburg 2-1-0 ... Crazy result versus GAC. Started the year giving up 3+ goals in back to back games. Loss to Macalester was interesting especially the red card in the first half. Tonight's 4-0 against Augsburg is about what an upper half IIAC team should do.
Nebraska Wesleyan 1-0-1 ... Newcomers to the IIAC but have a number of NAIA schools on their schedule. Hard to compare their wins this year. Conference play should be interesting for the Prairie Wolves.
Central 1-1-0 ... Meh.
Buena Vista 0-2-0 ... Meh.
Coe 0-2-0 ... Meh.
Wouldn't surprise me to see Central, BV and Coe on the outside looking in come conference tournament.
Once we see a larger sample size, we'll have a better idea, but as of right now, I could see the conference coming down to Loras or Luther.
Wartburg up 1-0 on St. Johns at half. Forwards look to be scrappy and most of all, fast. Wartburg dominating posession and the Johnnies don't look like they want to be there. And that's with two of Wartburg's captains (and midfielders) out with injuries. Looking forward to the second half to see what the Johnnies will bring to the table.
Johnnies come out with fire and score off a set piece and some lack of marking by Wartburg. 1-1.
Johnnies on another set piece. 2-1 St. Johns midway through the second.
Johnnies score a second to go up one, and one of Wartburg's defenders finishes a PK top shelf in cold blood. Game ends in 2-2 draw.
Quote from: Cheesehead Henry on September 10, 2016, 04:41:49 PM
Johnnies score a second to go up one, and one of Wartburg's defenders finishes a PK top shelf in cold blood. Game ends in 2-2 draw.
Both of St. John's goals came from set pieces. Wartburg has a short team and seems to be struggling defending set pieces this year.
Loras throttles St Scholastica 4-0, Duhawks are gelling quite well. New comers are making an impact early and often. I am thoroughly impressed with this squad.
I thought CSS was going to be the real test of the weekend, no discredit to SNC. Looks like CSS has lost a bit of firepower. Did not have eyes on the game, but would be curious to see what aspect of Loras' game provided the platform for the scoring.
Agree with you KICKIN, good to see the newcomers working into the mix.
Considering SJU played with 10 from the 19th minute on, not a bad road result.
Less than 24 hours after Loras hands CSS a 4-0 loss, St. Norbert turns the tide and hands the Duhawks their first loss. From the sounds of it, Loras came out flat and didn't feel the sense of urgency until they were down by two.
So goes the trend of having a young roster. Next Friday against Carthage becomes that much more important of a match, as will every game from here on out.
Quote from: Puerco Espin on September 11, 2016, 07:00:42 PM
Less than 24 hours after Loras hands CSS a 4-0 loss, St. Norbert turns the tide and hands the Duhawks their first loss. From the sounds of it, Loras came out flat and didn't feel the sense of urgency until they were down by two.
So goes the trend of having a young roster. Next Friday against Carthage becomes that much more important of a match, as will every game from here on out.
Duluth is never a fun place to go to ;D
I couldn't get a video feed of the Loras matches so all I had to go by was the stats. I was shocked to say the least when I saw the first goal go up against St. Norberts and then after the 2nd I pretty much knew how they were going about the match. I don't really read too much in to this one. There has to be one match that bring the seasons meaning and vision back in to focus and hopefully this was that match.
The conference in not going to be a cake walk, Wartburg and UD are putting up some impressive numbers. I have seen what Loras is capable of in such a short period of time together with the younger players that I know this is going to be one hell of a team.
I didn't see Bradley's name in the stats from this weekend's games in Duluth. Did he play for the Duhawks?
Bradley was out for both games. Best guess would be nursing the injury that knocked him out of the Albion match.
I don't think any Loras fan is worried, rightfully so. Once in a blue moon a team as good as Loras will have a result like this and bring them back down to earth for a second before they take off again. What isn't measured in the stat sheet is that Loras/Messiah/Wheaton/Amherst get everyone's best game, every.single.game. Which makes it all the more impressive they have been able to be as good as they are over the last 10 years. They run like a well-oiled machine. Minor blip in what will surely be another good/great season for Loras.
Dubuque off to an under the radar, 5-0 start. Must be that Mississippi River water giving the Dubuque schools an edge...
Schedule looks a bit soft thus far, but really handling all their opponents easily. What are thoughts on these guys? legit IIAC contenders this year?
U of D is always one of those schools that can fly under the radar. Similar playing style to Loras in the fact that they usually depend on sheer athleticism rather than go the possession route. No doubt that strategy is working for these Dubuque schools since a large number of years Loras has been successful, and Dubuque hasn't been out of the running for the IIAC in the last 5 years either.
Will be interesting to see how everyone looks come conference time! My Wartburg Knights came out with a win against Illinois wesleyan today in what should have been less close than what it was. The Burg went down early in the second half and it took a freshman goal late to win it. Oh well, good teams find a way to win regardless of how they showed up to the field that particular day. Knights will have another test tomorrow against U of Chicago. Will be interesting!
Watched most of the Wartburg v. Chicago game....my best guess of possession was 80/20 in favor of Chicago.
Dominate performance by Chicago.
Sir Victor out.
Interesting 4 game stretch for the Duhawks... A long bus trip out to Nebraska Wesleyan for the first Iowa Conference soccer game in Nebraska followed by a trip to play an always-tough Whitewater squad. A home game against St. John's, which played the Duhawks to a tie last year and has played seemingly every team they've played this year to date to a tie, too, leads to a huge game across town against UD. If they can come out of this stretch with 4 wins and have Bradley and Ross healthy and scoring up front then they can easily put the last two games behind them. People forget that they had a six game stretch where they went 2-3-1 last year and look where they ended up. I'm curious how this young team will respond to two straight losses and the increased pressure they have now to get some W's.
I believe Loras will be just fine. Any team playing so many freshman will have a few hiccups. It should be a good game in Whitewater this week. UWW always plays Loras tough(Beat them twice in the Rockbowl since 2010), but Loras always seems to to win when the games at Whitewater dating back to 09. Saturday should be fun, can't remember the last time Loras played at home on homecoming.
Loras was last at home on homecoming in 2011...defeated ud that night, 3-0.
Anyone at the UWW-Loras match on Wednesday night that could share some thoughts??
Loras at 4-3 with 2 non-conference matches against St. Johns and Elmhurst remaining in addition to the IIAC schedule which features some definite tests @ Dubuque and Luther in the Rock Bowl.
Would 4-5 losses be too many for an At-Large?
Shocker to see Loras lose a game they controlled for 70 mins. UD played well with 2 goal line clearances and help from an easy PK red card no call by the official. Still time to figure it out and win the conference tourney.
Unless Loras wins the conference tournament, or makes a huge run, I just don't see a case being made for them for the national tournament.
Who could've predicted the current state of the IIAC? Loras is back in the driver's seat with two matches to play after Dubuque stumbled again tonight at home to Wartburg. That's now two losses in conference for the Spartans at home giving up three goals (3-0 to Simpson and 3-1 to Wartburg).
The Duhawks control their destiny. Win out and it's conference championship No. 11 and home-field advantage for tournament. Won't be a cakewalk, a surging Simpson side and Luther remain. Should be a fun end to the regular season.
Clearly Coe is not good but it was still eye opening to see the Duhawks put up 5 goals in a 14 minute stretch last night. I think we've seen that the young Duhawk team can struggle at times but they have a lot of firepower and talent and it's looking like they might be peaking at the right time. I'm looking forward to the Luther (my alma mater) game next week but Simpson poses a threat for sure. I'd love to see the Rock Bowl hosting IIAC tournament games through to the final once again!
Simpson won't go quietly, especially at home. I'm expecting a close 1-0/2-0/2-1 final result, hopefully favoring the Duhawks.
Luther will be an interesting matchup. They've certainly had their ups and downs this season, much like many teams in the IIAC. After winning four in-a-row, they've alternated wins and losses for the last two weeks. I remember going into last year's meeting expecting a close battle, but Loras scored two early goals and it was a one-sided affair the rest of the way.
I, too, would love to see the IIAC Tournament go through Dubuque, although it looks like it will no matter what. Just depends on which campus it will be at.
DuHawks clinched another IIAC title with a 1-0 wind over Luther last night, that makes 11 titles now for Coach Rothert! They will play the winner of the Coe/Simpson match on Wed the 2nd of Nov.
By no means was Loras' season perfect this season, but at least they didn't get absolutely embarrassed on their home pitch.
Since ud knocked off Loras in the regular season, they went 3-4-0. Additionally, they conceded three or more goals in each of those losses. Brutal. Really goes to show they got lucky on Oct. 5.
Credit to Luther. They're a good club that will be a quality test for Loras on Saturday. As much as I would've preferred to see a Loras/ud matchup, it's clear that we will have the two best teams in the conference battling for AQ.
Quote from: Puerco Espin on November 03, 2016, 02:21:14 PM
By no means was Loras' season perfect this season, but at least they didn't get absolutely embarrassed on their home pitch.
Since ud knocked off Loras in the regular season, they went 3-4-0. Additionally, they conceded three or more goals in each of those losses. Brutal. Really goes to show they got lucky on Oct. 5.
Credit to Luther. They're a good club that will be a quality test for Loras on Saturday. As much as I would've preferred to see a Loras/ud matchup, it's clear that we will have the two best teams in the conference battling for AQ.
I love the vitriolic vibe to this one PE! It sucks to see a 20-0 lifetime against UD have a blemish on the right side, but at least we get to start a new race towards another 20! See you at the match tonight!
Nice pick by the committee to UD instead of Loras. 1st round exit to a mediocre at best Westminster side. Glad to see the Norse representing the IIAC well with a W over a solid St Norbert side.
Quote from: KICKIN95 on November 12, 2016, 09:39:31 PM
Nice pick by the committee to UD instead of Loras. 1st round exit to a mediocre at best Westminster side. Glad to see the Norse representing the IIAC well with a W over a solid St Norbert side.
Somebody had to say it!!
Quote from: dontshootthegoose on November 12, 2016, 09:45:47 PM
Quote from: KICKIN95 on November 12, 2016, 09:39:31 PM
Nice pick by the committee to UD instead of Loras. 1st round exit to a mediocre at best Westminster side. Glad to see the Norse representing the IIAC well with a W over a solid St Norbert side.
Somebody had to say it!!
Wouldn't be my first post that people got butt hurt over. ;D
I attended game tonight and saw a dubuqe team that gave a lot of space to Westminster attackers. I read that one of the reasons Dubuque received the bid was due to the head to head 1-0 victory. I guess I was a little surprised watching this game that loras wasn't able to score against Dubuque. Can you give any insight to the head to head match earlier in the year?
Quote from: 4samuy on November 12, 2016, 11:14:15 PM
I attended game tonight and saw a dubuqe team that gave a lot of space to Westminster attackers. I read that one of the reasons Dubuque received the bid was due to the head to head 1-0 victory. I guess I was a little surprised watching this game that loras wasn't able to score against Dubuque. Can you give any insight to the head to head match earlier in the year?
Tonight probably had something to do with Dubuque playing a man down for 80 minutes due to red card...
If memory serves me correctly, Loras pinged a couple shots off the post and missed some chances allowing Dubuque to hang around. Make no mistake, Gonzalo is a talented forward and is a lot to handle for a defense. He got free in the 88th(?) and buried his chance.
Last 5
ud: W, 3-2 at Central (5th team in IIAC, non-tournament team)
L, 3-1 vs. Wartburg (6th team in IIAC, non-tournament team)
L, 3-2 vs. UWP (non-tournament team)
W, 7-1 vs. Coe (1-17, 9th in IIAC)
L, 4-0 vs. Luther (2nd in IIAC, tournament team)
2-3-0 in last five ... 1-3-0 at home ... finished year 7-4-0 at home
Disappointing, but they were the better team in the NCAA's eyes. Maybe time for a visit to the optometrist.
A visit to the optometrist ;D ;D ;D ;D
I just don't see an experienced Loras team, coached by Rothert, losing to a Westminster side. No offense to Westminster, but they wouldn't place even top 5 in the IIAC (a 3-0 loss to Simpson proves my point).
I understand Dubuque received a red, but I don't recall a Rothert coached side every receiving a red during national tournament play (and we all know there have been a lot of games for them).
Plus, I would have loved a Loras - Chicago match-up!!!!
Quote from: dontshootthegoose on November 13, 2016, 12:26:55 PM
A visit to the optometrist ;D ;D ;D ;D
I just don't see an experienced Loras team, coached by Rothert, losing to a Westminster side. No offense to Westminster, but they wouldn't place even top 5 in the IIAC (a 3-0 loss to Simpson proves my point).
I understand Dubuque received a red, but I don't recall a Rothert coached side every receiving a red during national tournament play (and we all know there have been a lot of games for them).
Plus, I would have loved a Loras - Chicago match-up!!!!
Loras and Chicago played a pre-season match this year and played to a 0-0 draw. Would have been a great match!
Honestly, the committee may have seen a Loras-Chicago second round match up as being unfair to Chicago...
Loras always seems to get the better of Chicago, regardless of how great of a Chicago team that is.
I mean seriously, you have Chicago as undefeated and you give them a team that was just in the national title the year before and whose style of play really benefits against a possession style of Chicago.
Quote from: dontshootthegoose on November 16, 2016, 10:45:44 AM
Honestly, the committee may have seen a Loras-Chicago second round match up as being unfair to Chicago...
Loras always seems to get the better of Chicago, regardless of how great of a Chicago team that is.
I mean seriously, you have Chicago as undefeated and you give them a team that was just in the national title the year before and whose style of play really benefits against a possession style of Chicago.
Yup, you nailed it. I look forward to subscribing to your next newsletter ::)
I have been absent from this forum for awhile. I was disappointed to see Loras not get a bid. How have you been lately Kickin?
Been well d3fan. Very disappointed to see the committee pick UD over Loras and then for UD to dump their first match against a fairly weak Westminster side. Glad to see Luther get W in the tourney and for the Tommies to bust in to thw Final 4
Can't wait to go back next season when the Duhawks return to the finals!
Wartburg looking for new coach
http://go-knights.net/news/2016/12/5/artist-steps-down-as-head-mens-soccer-coach.aspx?path=msoc
Quote from: Alfredeneumann on December 06, 2016, 03:03:53 PM
Wartburg looking for new coach
http://go-knights.net/news/2016/12/5/artist-steps-down-as-head-mens-soccer-coach.aspx?path=msoc
Hmmm, any idea who could be a potential fit? They seem to have a good alumni base. Any in the coaching ranks?
Could one of you Iowa folks provide some insight on the history of the Grinnell program? Why are the Pioneers not in the IIAC? Have they ever had any truly competitive teams? Does the program get no help from admissions? Very curious as to why this program is not at least on par with Carleton, Macalester, GAC, STU, etc and at least the mid-tier of the IIAC.
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 15, 2016, 08:12:26 PM
Could one of you Iowa folks provide some insight on the history of the Grinnell program? Why are the Pioneers not in the IIAC? Have they ever had any truly competitive teams? Does the program get no help from admissions? Very curious as to why this program is not at least on par with Carleton, Macalester, GAC, STU, etc and at least the mid-tier of the IIAC.
Grinnell has been pretty close to the bottom for many years. It may be due to their unique format for classes, extremely low application to acceptance rate (24.1%) and out of the box classroom participation processes. The college pushes their students to explore as many classes as possible and offer no entry level or remedial courses (no, college algebra, trig, or pre-calc). In other words you don't go to Grinnell to play sports, you go to get a unique and challenging education.
Quote from: KICKIN95 on December 19, 2016, 05:06:12 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 15, 2016, 08:12:26 PM
Could one of you Iowa folks provide some insight on the history of the Grinnell program? Why are the Pioneers not in the IIAC? Have they ever had any truly competitive teams? Does the program get no help from admissions? Very curious as to why this program is not at least on par with Carleton, Macalester, GAC, STU, etc and at least the mid-tier of the IIAC.
Grinnell has been pretty close to the bottom for many years. It may be due to their unique format for classes, extremely low application to acceptance rate (24.1%) and out of the box classroom participation processes. The college pushes their students to explore as many classes as possible and offer no entry level or remedial courses (no, college algebra, trig, or pre-calc). In other words you don't go to Grinnell to play sports, you go to get a unique and challenging education.
Love Grinnell and that's why I'm curious (and also why not part of IIAC), but your explanation doesn't explain why other equally and even more selective (by admit rate) academic powerhouses have such strong programs (like the last 2 national champions). Why not at least as good as Midwestern peers Carleton and Macalester? Many would consider Oberlin similarly unique/quirky/liberal and they have produced some decent to good teams.