WHEATON, Ill. – A single goal in each half was the difference Friday, as Saint Benedict fell 2-0 to Loras in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Loras (18-3-1) kept the pressure on all game, finishing with a shot margin of 12-to-8 against the Blazers.
The two team's effectively swapped spots in the latest national rankings, with the Blazers (16-3-1) jumping in at No. 25, while Loras fell out after ranking 25th the previous week. But Loras looked every bit a national contender, winning for the sixth consecutive time, and scoring its third consecutive 2-0 victory.
Blazers went after the Duhawks hard in the final minutes, firing off five shots in the final minutes, but were unable to get one past Duhawk keeper Hannah Wilson, who stopped all three shots she saw that made it to her.
Loras got their goals in the 38th minute, to take a 1-0 lead into halftime, and then again right out of the break in the 53rd minute to go ahead 2-0 for the final margin of victory. Katie Truesdale was all the Duhawks needed as she bagged both goals, ramping her season total up to 15 on the year.
In a first half controlled but the Duhawks, the Blazers made them work for the game's first goal. With 10 shots it the period, Loras was held off the board until there were less than 10 minutes remaining.
The Blazers then put the pressure on to outshoot the Duhawks 6-to-2 in the second.
Kaluznaik finished with seven saves, her fourth consecutive game with at least that many.
