Since graduating from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 2002 I have only been able to see the Duhawks play one game. And that was as an opposing coach so I didn’t really get to enjoy it, mainly because they destroyed our team. I have been following them via the internet and also through friends that still live in Dubuque and are able to get out and see some of their matches. This year was by far the best in the programs history, they won the regular season conference title, tournament conference title and were ranked third nationally. Also they have been extremely good defensively and had only given up 4 goals prior to the NCAA tournament and carried a 20-0-1 record into their NCAA 1st round game. They were matched up against Wheaton College(IL) in the first game and this was the team that they tied earlier in the year. They came out victorious and that sent them into the sweet 16 round. The four teams in their bracket were University of California-Redlands, Virginia Wesleyan, North Carolina Wesleyan and Loras. Being Division III they placed the games at Rocky Mount, North Carolina home of North Carolina Wesleyan because they would only have to fly 2 teams instead of 3 to Dubuque.
After talking to some old teammates a few of us decided to make the trip and catch the sweet 16 games. I was able to meet up with a teammate in Chicago and we flew out to Raleigh, NC, which is about 40 minutes from Rocky Mount.
Loras’ game was against NC Wesleyan and they boasted a very potent attack and had some extremely talented players. With Loras’ defense it was a matchup that many people were excited to see. Two minutes into the game Loras was granted a penalty kick due to a clear hand ball and they went up 1-0. That sent the Loras alumni, family and friends into an uproar as there were around 65 Loras people who made the trip out east. NCW were dangerous throughout the game and Loras’ defense was up to the challenge. Loras made NCW settle for a lot of long range shots and buckled down on their attacking players. Loras got a second goal early in the second half and NCW quickly answered with a goal as well to make the game 2-1. Again with a strong defense Loras won 2-1 and advanced to a elite 8 matchup against UC-Redlands.
Being the first DIII game that I have seen in 4 years and I was very impressed with the play and also the emotion that both teams showed. They both played hard, fast and left everything on the field. With NCW having a huge home crowd advantage it was definitely sweet to see Loras come out on top.
In the elite 8 game both teams looked a little tired and nervous which is to be expected in such a big game. Then came one of the best goals I have ever seen live in person. The bad news was it was for Redlands. This goal can only be explained as amazing and check out the video of it on youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwGX7To4IR0
So going into halftime Loras was down 1-0 but got a goal about 15 minutes into the second half off of a nice header from a free kick from outside the box. For the rest of the half Loras was by far the more dangerous team and got the game winning goal with 8 minutes left. With less than 2 minutes to play Loras added a 3rd goal to assure their ticket to the Final 4 in Orlando,FL.
Needless to say after the game everyone was very excited and chants of “Final 4” and “Orlando” were flowing strongly. The atmosphere at the games was by far the highlight of the weekend for me. Getting to catch up with old teammates and meeting other fellow alumni all while watching your school win was great. My first year at Loras was the coaches first year and my class was his first recruiting class. So it was cool to talk to him about the progress the program has made since then and even more to get to see it in person with some of the guys in my class. Even though this probably means all my goalie records are going to be surpassed I couldn’t be happier.
Loras played Middlebury form Vermont in the Final 4 and they ended up tied after the full 90 minutes and 2 overtimes which meant, penalty kicks. They eventually came up short losing in the shootout but the good news was that they did lose to the eventual national champions. Middlebury beat Trinity from Texas in pk’s to win the title. It is not that often that you can go an entire year undefeated finishing 23-0-2, which was Loras’ final record.
Division III soccer often gets overlooked and some people assume it is not a very high level. But having played Division III and after this trip and getting to see four of the top teams in Division III, I can assure you that it is a very high level of play. Many former players from SSC have enjoyed success and have found good fits to continue their educational goals and also their soccer playing goals through Division III schools. Patrick Carver for example is at Emory University in Atlanta, GA., and he was a first team All American as a junior. Luke Prater at Wartburg College is battling Loras for the IIAC title every year and he was a starter all year for the Knights. Tom Marlow at Illinois Wesleyan University is playing in one of the toughest conferences in Division III and Tom saw a ton of playing time as a freshman as well. Washington University in St. Louis boasts three former SSC players on their roster in John Duncan, Bryson Tombridge and Josh Florez. Laura McElroy is playing goalkeeper at Grinnell College in Iowa. All of these players would probably tell you that they are enjoying their college experiences because of the values that Division III strives for, smaller more intimate campuses that offer good academics and also very strong athletic programs.
