Bishop soccer season ends with 2-1 loss to Loras College

Rocky Mount, NC - The undefeated Duhawks of Loras College advanced to Sunday's sectional championship of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament by downing North Carolina Wesleyan at Scalf Field by a 2-1 score.  Loras (22-0-1) converted an early penalty kick and later got a much-needed insurance goal to effectively end the best season in Battling Bishops' history.  Wesleyan, ranked 2nd nationally for much of the season, finishes 2007 with an 18-2-0 mark.

A crucial hand-ball in the box less than three minutes into the game set up the Loras PK.  Miguel Bonilla converted the shot to give the Duhawks a 1-0 lead that they would take into the break.  Loras upped its lead to 2-0 in the 54th minute with an unassisted goal by Matt Lamale.

Wesleyan got on the board in the 58th minute when Marco Kirsch netted an Alimamy Kargbo assist from the left side.  Kirsch finished the season with the third most points in NCWC season history with 44, while his 14 assists placed him second among season leaders.

The Bishops pushed for the equalizer late and created several scoring chances, but Duhawk keeper Matt DuBois made save after save to seal the victory.  He finished with an impressive 11 stops on the day as the Bishops out-shot Loras 25-6 in the match.

In the first game, the University of Redlands (20-3-0) advanced with a 3-1 win over Virginia Wesleyan (18-4-0).  The Bulldogs benefited from a VWC own goal in the 10th minute and later went up 2-0 on a goal by Kody Andrew.

The Marlins got on the board at the 57:19 mark when Brandon Massie headed home a Dustin Skees pass from the back.  Redlands, however, answered less than three minutes later with a Ross Schunk goal to secure the 3-1 final.

Redlands out-shot VWC 13-10 in the match, while both goalies tallied four saves apiece.

Loras and Redlands will now face off on Sunday for a spot in next weekend's Final Four.  Game time is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Scalf Field.

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