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Women’s soccer sets sights on first conference crown since 1999
INDIANOLA, Iowa – With their first conference tournament title since 1999 within reach, the Simpson College women's soccer team heads to Dubuque on Saturday to face top-seeded Loras in what promises to be a thrilling showdown for the American Rivers Conference Championship.
This marks the third consecutive year Simpson and Loras have squared off in the tournament championship. Both teams earned first-round byes and advanced to the championship after securing hard-fought 1-0 victories in their respective semifinal matchups on Wednesday. Simpson defeated No. 3-seed Wartburg and Loras edged out fifth-seeded Central.
Simpson enters the final with an opportunity to capture the program's second conference tournament title and first since 1999. On the other side, Loras looks to win its 17th tournament title in program history and fourth in a row.
A-R-C TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 2 Simpson (14-1-3, 7-1 A-R-C) at No. 1 Loras (18-0, 8-0 A-R-C)
Saturday, Nov. 9 | 7 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 NPI rankings, Loras ranked fourth and Simpson came in 25th. The selection show is scheduled for Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
SERIES NOTES
Saturday's game between the Storm and Duhawks is the 35th meeting in the series dating back to 1996. Loras holds a 25-7-3 advantage over Simpson and won the most recent matchup 1-0. In last year's championship, the two teams played to a 1-1 draw before Loras won the penalty kick shootout.
ABOUT THE STORM
- Simpson carries a 14-1-3 record into the championship match, with its only loss being to the Duhawks.
- The Storm held an unblemished record through their first 13 games of the season, a program first.
- Thirteen different players have scored for the Storm this season led by Cassie Nash's 17 goals. Seniors Maddie Hays and Hailey Kowzan rank second with six, while Jordyn Foelske and Savannah Schneider have each scored five times.
- Along with their goals, Kowzan has dished out nine assists, Nash has tallied eight, and Foelske has recorded five.
- Meredith Downs is 12-1-3 as the Storm's starting goalkeeper in 2024, making 46 saves and boasting a 0.76 goals against average.
- The Storm defense has blanked 10 teams, while the offense has outscored opponents 56-12.
ABOUT THE DUHAWKS
- Loras enters the game undefeated at 18-0-0.
- With an 8-0 record in league play, the Duhawks won their 17th overall conference championship and eighth in the past nine years.
- Loras has not taken a loss against an A-R-C school (regular season or postseason) in 40 games. Simpson ended the Duhawks' 31-game win streak with a tie in last year's championship game.
- The Duhawks have outscored the opposition 55-1 in their 18 games.
- Savannah Johnson (14) and Lauren Riggle (11) have combined for 25 of the team's goals, while also assisting 13 others.
- Reagan Lindsay has been credited with 18 assists, ranking third in the country with 0.94 assists per game.
- Kyndal Kells is the only starting goalkeeper in Division III that hasn't allowed a goal this season. She has made 14 saves in over 1350 minutes.