Sept. 8, 2006

Box Score

CHICAGO - Freshman Cynthia Morote-Ariza gave Loyola an early lead but Iowa responded in the latter stages of the second half as the teams played to a 1-1 draw tonight at Loyola Soccer Park. The Ramblers move to 3-2-1 on the season while the Hawkeyes now stand at 1-2-1.

Loyola opened the match strong, holding possession and forcing Iowa to defend from the opening kickoff. Senior Mary Dale headed wide off a corner kick in the 13th minute in what proved to be a warning sign for the Iowa defense. Just two minutes later, the Ramblers dented the scoreboard, courtesy of a pair of freshmen. Jackie Vera picked up the ball in the midfield, found some space and needled a beautiful pass onto the foot of a streaking Morote-Ariza who made no mistake from 12 yards out to give Loyola the lead. For Morote-Ariza, it was her fourth goal of the season, tying her for the Horizon League lead. The Ramblers continued to enjoy the better of play but were unable to add another, settling for a 1-0 lead at intermission.

Iowa began to push forward in the second half but it was Loyola that had the next good chance, as Caitlin Brown narrowly missed the top corner with a 25-yard strike in the 65th minute. However, the Hawkeyes kept pushing forward with numbers and finally drew even. A turnover in the midfield led to Kelsie Full getting free down the right side and her cross was controlled by Stephanie Hyink who turned and fired one to the back of the net from 10 yards out in the 76th minute. Loyola had one last chance in the dying moments of regulation but Amy Lomas just missed into the side-netting from a tight angle in the 89th minute.

The two overtime periods passed without any real chances and the teams each settled for their first draw of the season.

Loyola owned a 12-9 edge in shots and a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks but could not turn either into a game-winner.

The Ramblers return to action on Sunday when they travel to Columbia, Mo. to battle No. 18 Missouri.