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Box Score

Dubuque, Iowa (Sept. 18, 2018) - Traveling to Iowa to face the red-hot Loras College Duhawks, the North Central women's soccer team struggled to generate offense, falling 2-0.

The Duhawks entered the game on a five-game win streak, and took the lead just 78 seconds into the game when Brynn Jacobi redirected a teammate's shot past North Central goalkeeper Madison Lockard. The Cardinals had a great opportunity to tie the game in the fourteenth minute, after drawing a foul in the box. But Loras goalkeeper Kaylee Coble stopped Lexi Dimovski's penalty shot. North Central tallied just one other shot in the first half, a stark contrast to the hosts' 14.

The Cardinals found some life in the second half, recording six shots, three of which landed on goal. But the Duhawks struck again in the 52nd minute, when Kiki Cabrera's header off a lengthy throw-in found the back of the net, giving Loras some insurance. The Cardinals never found an answer for Coble—or the Loras defense—and lost 2-0, the first time the Cardinals have been shutout this season.  

"Today was a good challenge for us. Unfortunately, we had a slow start and with a team that is experienced like Loras, they took advantage. We've played some difficult games, but we deliberately schedule strong matches that prepare us for conference play and we know we can compete with the best," said head coach Andrew Gamarra after the game.

Sophomore forward Dana Plotke took two shots (both on net), as did Dimovski, who landed one on goal. Lockard faced seven shots on goal and stopped five.

"We were happy to see Lauren Fischer, Emma Wilson and Nicole Durkee step into bigger roles when their numbers got called up," added Gamarra.

North Central (4-3) travels into Chicago Thursday for perhaps their toughest match of the season, facing off against the third-ranked University of Chicago Maroons. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m., live video can be found HERE.