Storm fall to Loras in IIAC Semifinals

DUBUQUE, Iowa — An own goal in the first six minutes proved costly as Loras beat the Simpson men's soccer team 3-0 in the Iowa Conference Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday night at the Rock Bowl.

Goalkeeper Jacob Peterson made eight saves—including six in the second half—and the second-seeded Duhawks (13-5-0) ended Simpson's season in the semifinal round for the third straight season.

Garrett Pochop kept Peterson busy, putting five of his seven shots on goal for the third-seeded Storm (15-3-2). Pochop put all five of his second-half shots on frame, but he couldn't get past arguably the league's best keeper in a matchup of two of the Iowa Conference's best.

Loras won its ninth game in a row and will play top-seeded Luther in the IIAC Tournament Championship game on Saturday. The Norse beat Nebraska Wesleyan in the night's other semifinal.

Things took a turn for the worse just over 5 minutes into the contest when a service by Loras was misplayed in the box and ended up in Simpson's net. The own goal gave Loras a 1-0 advantage and changed the course of the contest when Mark Broderick added an insurance tally in the 20th minute.

The Storm played the role of aggressor in the second half, outshooting Loras 9-7. But Peterson didn't waiver as Loras beat the Storm for the 23rd straight game and ninth straight time in the IIAC Tournament. Mark Histed added a goal off a header in the 78th minute to put the game away for good.

Tournament Talk
It's a long shot, but Simpson could still be in contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The most recent NCAA North Region Rankings—released Wednesday—put Simpson at No. 6 in the region. Although rare, the committee has taken three teams from the Iowa Conference as recently as 2013. The 62-team field will be announced Monday, Nov. 6 at 12:30 p.m. CT.

Notes & Numbers
• Simpson falls to 16-19-4 all-time in the IIAC Tournament (22 appearances)
• If Wednesday was his last game, Garrett Pochop closes his remarkable career with 49 goals, 18 assists and 116 points. He holds school records for goals and points and is tied for sixth in assists. His 49 goals are seven more than Mitchell White (42 from 2011-14) and his 116 points are 24 more than White (92 from 2011-14).
• Simpson was shut out for just the second time in 27 games, both coming against Loras. The Duhawks beat Simpson 1-0 on Oct. 15.