Undefeated, and the best team in school history
Jon Denham, Sports Information Director

The Duhawk men’s soccer team went where no other team sport in Loras College history had ever been in 2007. The season was memorable, record-breaking, and concluded at the Final Four in Orlando, Florida with a 23-0-2 record. 

Beginning Labor Day weekend and concluding the day after Thanksgiving, the season seemed to keep going, and going, and going as the team continued winning, and winning, and winning. Dan Rothert’s young men took the field 25 times and never “lost” a match, only having their season abruptly ended in penalty kicks after a 110 minute draw in the NCAA III semifinals at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex  to Middlebury College, the tournament’s eventual winners. 

The Duhawks finished 2007 with a mere six goals scored against them, compared to 69 scored. Loras continued their dominance at home in the Rock Bowl in 2007, upping their 2+ year record in the new facility to 21-0-1 by winning 13 games in front of the home crowd. The team set records for wins in a season (23), consecutive games without a loss (25 and counting), goals against (6), and shutouts (19) to name a few. The Duhawks never conceded more than one goal in a game and finished the year as the only men’s soccer team in the NCAA (all divisions) without a loss on their record in 2007. 

The team went 8-0 in league play as well, the first time an IIAC men’s team had done so in seven years. Individually, the accolades were abundant. Dan Rothert was the IIAC’s Coach of the Year. Senior defender Matt Brumfield was the IIAC’s MVP (first time a defender has won the award) and a first team IIAC selection. Santiago Mejia and Mike Richter were named to the NCAA III All-Tournament team in addition to being first team selections in the IIAC. Other first team selections include Nate DuBois, Matt Splittgerber, Miguel Bonilla, and the team’s leading scorer Matt Pucci (17 G). Pucci’s seventeen goals were the second most by a Duhawk in a single season. Second team All-IIAC honors went to Nate Minkel and Nick Rizzo. Matt Lamale was awarded honorable mention. Nate Minkel and Santiago Mejia were also named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All District (VII) Men’s Soccer Team.

Loras ended the season third in the November 27th NSCAA/Adidas Division III national poll. The Duhawks defeated Wheaton College (IL) in the second round of the tournament, North Carolina Wesleyan 2-1 in the Sweet 16, and the University of Redlands 3-1 in the Elite 8 to earn a spot in the semifinals. They were welcomed back to Dubuque on Monday, November 26th, 2007 to the Athletics & Wellness Center to a chorus of cheers, a booming round of applause, and a standing ovation.

The team loses three starters to graduation for 2008, and will benefit from the first official spring season next semester as they prep to defend their IIAC title and make another run at the NCAA Division III championship. The support from Loras College, the alumni, the Dubuque community, and so many others grew and grew over the course of this memorable season – from Labor Day through Thanksgiving and beyond - and was second to none.