Losing the Battle

Everyone in the Luther camp new this would be the toughest weekend of the year. Taking on the Iowa Conference Champions and the Minnesota Conference Champions in back to back days, both on the road, was never going to be an easy task for the Norse. While Luther battled in both of these matches, they were unable to come out on top. The worst part of the weekend was that the tough games came back to back, and put a stop to Luther's 4 game unbeaten streak in a tough way.
It was a miserable day in Dubuque when Luther traveled to take on Conference Champion Loras on their home pitch, where they are tough to beat. The light rain made Loras' turf even slicker than it already is, and Luther was not able to find their touch right from the start. Missed passes, heavy touches, and a lack of passion plagued the Luther performance on Saturday, and Luther went down in the 23rd minute on a deflected shot.
Loras had most of the play throughout the first half as the Luther defenders struggled to find their feet and settle down. Then in the 33rd minute Jason Lentz made a great individual effort to get by a Loras defender in the box and earn a penalty as he was dragged down. He eas able to put it away and Luther was tied 1-1 going into halftime.
When Luther gave up a free kick in the first minute of haltime, everyone knew it was trouble, as Loras was able to bring their big boys froward and challenge the Luther defenders. The kick sailed into a dangerous position and after a scrum in the box the ball was deflected once again into the back of the Luther net. The backbraking goal two minutes into halftime proved to be the game winner, as Luther continued to battle but was never able to be very dangerous and ended the game losing 2-1.
A quick recovery was necessary as Luther would travel up to Northfield to take on the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions, Carleton College on Sunday. After a tough, wet battle against Loras, Luther's legs were drained and the effort they put forth against Carleton showed it. There was a lack of passion and commitment to winning, and Luther looked sloppy once again. A give away in the back and too much optimism allowed a loose ball to fall to the feet of a Carleton forward in the 11th minute and Carleton was up 1-0.
Luther's first half substitutes gave them a much needed lift, but when a Rosales free kick bounced off the underside of the cross bar and Fernandes and Arend were unable to put away a couple sitters in front of the net, it was a sign of things to come. After battling to get back into the game and having the better of the play for several minutes, Luther gift wrapped Carleton's second goal. An errant header by a Luther defender on a goal kick put the Carleton forward in behind. He was able to get a cross off and found a player in front of the net who put a shot on target. Steve O'Meara did well to parry the ball away, but once again a Carleton forward was first to the ball and slotted home Carleton's second goal six minutes before the half.
After putting together several minutes of good play, the second goal against the run of the game broke Luther's spirit, and they were never able to recover. A pretty even second half with Luther squandering their chances and Carleton managing the game well leftthe score 2-0 when the final whistle blew.
It will be a test of fortitude to see if this Luther team can move on from a tough weekend to look ahead to a huge Alumni Night clash when rivals Wartburg travel to Luther to play under the lights on Saturday night. They lost the battles last weekend, but a new battle awaits Saturday night. This will be the second IIAC game for the Norse in their tough opening stretch that includes the four top teams in the conference. We look forward to seeing you out to support Luther Saturday night.