Sept. 30, 2007
Final Stats
Des Moines, Iowa - Cynthia Morote-Ariza and Katie Heidenreich scored 17 seconds apart in the late stages of the second half to lift Loyola to its third straight win, a 3-1 decision over Drake this afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa. The win pushes the Ramblers back to the .500 mark (5-5) for the season and drops Drake to 2-5-2.
"I am pleased that we found a way today, on the road, to get the result," said head coach Frank Mateus. "We did a couple of the things that we always try to do, which is score first and keep pressuring. I thought the first 20 minutes we played as well as we have all season but we did not sustain it throughout the half and found ourselves tied at halftime but we hung in there, got the go-ahead goal and then were able to secure it right after that."
Loyola opened the scoring early, as Alexia Murray cut inside and unleashed a rocket that beat the keeper far post for her first goal of the year after 10 minutes. Drake was able to slowly gain more possession as the period wore on and evened the game up in the latter stages of the half with Sarah Foote pouncing on a loose ball in the six-yard box off a corner kick. The 35th minute goal tied the match and it would stay that way heading to halftime. Drake owned a 10-5 edge in shots in the opening period but could not add to its lead.
The Ramblers increased the pressure in the second half and looked to have retaken the lead when Murray set up Morote-Ariza who found the back of the net only to have it negated by an offsides call. However, shortly thereafter, Morote-Ariza would strike again. The sophomore was fouled outside the 18-yard box and sent a curling free kick towards the far post that eluded everyone and tucked into the far corner of the net. The goal, her fifth of the season, came in the 84th minute and Heidenreich would put the match out of reach just 17 seconds after the restart, depositing a cross from Nikki Staton for her second goal of the year.
Loyola enjoyed a 10-2 edge in shots in the second half and the goals were enough for Colleen Dougherty, who made five saves, to get the win in goal.
The Ramblers return to Chicago for three home matches next week, beginning with a clash against Horizon League newcomer Valparaiso on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park.
