Junior Maddie Hays (photo by Frank Novak)

Posted: Nov 03, 2023

Simpson, Loras to meet in A-R-C title game for second straight year

INDIANOLA, Iowa – For the second year in a row, the Simpson College women's soccer team is headed to Dubuque to square off with top-seeded Loras for the American Rivers Conference Tournament crown.

Both teams received first-round byes in the tournament after locking up the top two seeds in the conference standings. In Wednesday's semifinal round, the Storm defeated Luther 2-0 and the Duhawks beat Dubuque 3-0.

Simpson aims to win its second conference tournament title overall and first since 1999. Loras, ranked No. 21 in the nation, looks to win its 16th tournament title in program history and third in a row.

A-R-C TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 2 Simpson (15-2-1, 7-1 A-R-C) at No. 1 Loras (15-0-3, 8-0 A-R-C)
Saturday, Nov. 4 | 5 p.m.
Rock Bowl | Dubuque, Iowa
Live Video | Live Stats

WHAT'S AT STAKE
The winner of Saturday's title game will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament, while the loser will hope to be selected as an at-large bid. In the most recent NCAA Region IX rankings, Loras ranked second and Simpson came in third. The selection show is scheduled for Nov. 6 at 1:30 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.

SERIES NOTES
Saturday's game between the Storm and Duhawks is the 33rd meeting in the series dating back to 1996. Loras holds a 24-7-2 advantage over Simpson and has won the last 16 matchups. Earlier this season, the Duhawks beat Simpson 2-0 at the Rock Bowl.

ABOUT THE STORM

Simpson heads into its second-straight championship match on a four-game win streak.
The Storm carry 15 wins into the title game, their highest win total since 2004.
Eleven players have scored for Simpson this fall led by Cassie Nash with 18. Jordyn Foelske, Maddie Hays, Ally Hoffa and Brissa Valadez have all contributed four goals to rank second on the team.
Nash also leads the team in assists with 10, while Foelske has helped five goals.
Simpson has outscored opponents 46-10 through 18 games. The Storm are 14-0-0 when scoring first as well as 14-0-0 when converting multiple goals.
The Storm defense has posted 10 shutouts this season.
Lani Mears (8-2-1) and Meredith Downs (7-0-0) have split time between the posts, combining for an 0.56 goals against average and .877 save percentage.

ABOUT THE DUHAWKS

Loras brings an overall record of 16-1-0 into the game. The Duhawk's only loss of the year was a 2-0 defeat at Carroll on Sept. 13.
The Duhawks have only dropped four games in the last four seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament Final Four in 2021 as well as the Sweet Sixteen a year ago.
With an 8-0 record in league play, the Duhawks won their 16th overall conference championship and seventh in the past eight years.
Loras has won 31 consecutive matchups against A-R-C schools (regular season and postseason).
Like Simpson, Loras is undefeated at home in 2023.
The Duhawks have outscored the opposition 57-4 in their 17 games thus far. The team has 14 shutouts.
Savannah Johnson has been an offensive force all season long, scoring 22 goals and adding 11 assists for a league-high 55 points.
Julia Neary ranks second on the team with seven goals and seven assists, scoring four gamewinners.
Kyndal Kell is 16-1-0 in goal with 30 saves and a 0.25 goals against average.

STORM IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
13th - Cassie Nash, total points (46)
16th - Cassie Nash, total assists (10)
17th - Cassie Nash, points per game (2.56)
19th - Cassie Nash, total goals (18)
20th - Cassie Nash, shots on goal per game (2.78)

DUHAWKS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
5th - Savannah Johnson, total points (54)
5th - Savannah Johnson, points per game (3.18)
5th - Kyndal Kells, goals against average (0.25)
7th - Savannah Johnson, total goals (22)
7th - Savannah Johnson, goals per game (1.29)
13th - Kyndal Kells, shutouts (9)
16th - Savannah Johnson, total assists (10)