DUBUQUE, Iowa — The Carleton College men’s soccer hung tough with national No. 2 Loras College for much of the match before ultimately succumbing to a 2-0 defeat.
“That’s a Final Four program,” said Carleton head coach Bob Carlson. “They are ranked No. 2 in the country for the right reasons. They are athletic, technical, and very well coached. I’m pleased with how our guys responded to playing such a quality opponent.”
Loras got on the board in the 12th minute, scoring on a long-range deflection. Carleton keeper Keenan Smith (Sr./Madison, Wis./West) was in position for the stop until the ball was re-directed to the opposite side of the goal.
Smith came up with a huge stop in the 32nd minute with a lunging one-handed save on a point blank shot. He had another clutch stop in the 58th minute, denying a close-range header and registered three saves overall.
Will Schifeling (Sr./Eau Claire, Wis./Regis) came painfully close to tallying the equalizer in the 69th minute as his shot eluded Loras goalkeeper Sean Elvert, but the scoring attempt was cleared off the line by a Loras defender.
The Duhawks added an insurance tally in the 85th minute and finished with a 14-9 edge in shot attempts.
“While the result wasn’t what we wanted, the effort was definitely there,” said Carlson. “We learned some things today, including that we can play against top competition.”
Carleton will host non-conference opponent Rockford University on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 12 p.m. Live video and live stats will be available via Knights Online.
