North Central women’s soccer claims first NCAA win over Loras College

The North Central College women's soccer team achieved a milestone by securing its first-ever NCAA tournament victory, defeating Loras College 3-1 at Francis Olympic Field in St. Louis on Saturday. This win also marks the first time North Central has beaten Loras in the program's history.

The Cardinals opened scoring early, capitalizing on a corner kick in the third minute. Senior captain Kassandra Salviola scored after Loras' goalkeeper was unable to control the ball. Loras responded with an equalizer in the 19th minute, but North Central's goalkeeper Lily Mattison made key saves to keep the game tied through halftime.

Despite being outshot six to two in the first half, North Central remained level with Loras due to Mattison’s three saves before halftime. The turning point came in the 56th minute when Jordan Lange beat her defender and scored from outside the penalty area, putting North Central ahead 2-1.

As play became more physical in the second half—marked by three yellow cards and ten fouls—North Central maintained its lead despite increased pressure from Loras. In the final seconds of regulation, Lange secured her second goal of the match after intercepting a pass and finishing into an open net.

Loras registered ten shots compared to eight for North Central, but it was North Central’s efficiency that proved decisive; they placed six shots on target while limiting Loras to five. Mattison finished with four saves as Cardinal keeper.

With this victory, North Central advances to face Washington University in St. Louis—the top seed—on Sunday at 1 p.m., looking for another historic result after narrowly losing their previous encounter earlier this season.