Aug. 20, 2010

Box Score

CHICAGO- Despite a strong second half effort featuring numerous scoring opportunities, the Loyola women's soccer team fell to the Illinois Fighting Illini, 2-0 on Friday evening at the Loyola Soccer Park in Chicago, Illinois.

The win improves Illinois to 1-0 on the season, while the Ramblers begin the 2010 campaign 0-1.

Illinois moved ahead early in the match with a strong offensive effort, controlling the game's tempo the majority of the first five minutes.

At the 6:38 mark, Illinois found the scoreboard, as Vanessa DiBernardo placed a corner kick ball into the Loyola box to teammate Danielle Kot, who fired a shot past Rambler goalkeeper Katie Groesch, giving the Fighting Illini a 1-0 lead.

Five minutes later, the Fighting Illini struck again, this time from DiBernardo, who drove from midfield into Loyola territory and fired a shot from 12 yards out into the back of the net. The two first half goals were all Illinois needed to secure the 2-0 victory.

Although Loyola couldn't find the back of the net in regulation, the home team kept pace with the testy Big Ten opponent. The Ramblers managed four shots in the second half, totaling six for the contest.

Kristin Papierski and Jessie Hubly led Loyola with two shots, while Alex Brown added a shot on goal in the first half. Tricia Stonebraker managed a shot midway through the second half.

Groesch made six saves in the game, facing a total of 19 Illinois shots on the evening.

The Ramblers will return to action this Sunday, when the Idaho State Bengals visit the Loyola Soccer Park. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. CST.