DuHawks Down Gorloks In First Round

The Wester University women's soccer team dug itself into a deep hole early in its first-round NCAA III tournament contest and never recovered as it lost to host Loras College, 5-0, on November 10 in Dubuque, IA.  The Gorloks (19-2), ranked seventh in the Central Region, end an outstanding season with the loss to the 
DuHawks (15-1-3), ranked 19th nationally and second in the North Region.

Loras scored a goal 59 seconds into the game when a DuHawk forward dribbled past the Webster defense and got off a shot that snuck inside the goal at the far post.  They would add a second goal at 7:33 and a third at 10:33 off a cross that was fired past Webster goalie Aly Miller (SO, Middleville, MI/Thornapple).  The DuHawks completed the early blitz with a goal off a penalty kick at 12:20 that made it 4-0.

Loras would add one more goal in the second half off Alisa Coralic (JR, St. Louis, MO/Mehlville), who took over in the nets for Miller.  The loss was Miller's first of the season as she ends the year at 9-1. 

Webster set a team record with 19 wins on the season.  The team won the 2017 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, its ninth tournament championship and 13th SLIAC championship overall.  This was Webster's 13th NCAA III Championships appearance. 

Eight soccer Gorloks were named All-Conference, with five earning First Team honors, and Elena Bloma was named the "Defensive Player of the Year" for a second straight year.

Six seniors, Bloma (St. Louis, MO/Eureka), Kelsey Hausmann (St. Louis, MO/Mehlville), Chelsea Noser (Collinsville, IL/Collinsville), Lauren Nuelle (St. Louis, MO/St. Joseph's Academy), Brianna Pagan (St. Louis, MO/Washington) and Sydney Tedesco (Belleville, IL/Belleville East) played their final game as Gorloks.

Webster will return plenty of offensive punch in 2018, despite the losses of Hausmann, Noser, Nuelle, and Pagan.  The Gorloks have three players returning with nine or more goals, including leading scorer Melissa Kasper (SO, Chicago, IL/Oswego), who led in goals, assists, and points.  Webster also has numerous contributors to its staunch defense, and all three goalies returning in 2018 as well.

STORY COURTESY OF WEBSTER UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION