Oct. 31, 2013
Final Stats
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - A pair of second half goals and junior Monica Gonyo's sixth shutout of the season carried the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team to a vital road win tonight, 2-0, over Evansville. The win, combined with other results from around the conference on the final day of the regular season, sees Loyola finish third in the conference table after being pegged seventh prior to the start of the season.
"Tonight the girls showed true grit on the road, in strong winds, against a quality Evansville team," said Loyola head women's soccer coach Barry Bimbi. "Sunday will be the first conference tournament game that our seniors will host in their careers. I'm very happy for them."
Both teams entered tonight's conference finale on a rainy and windy night at Arad McCutchan Stadium with plenty to play for in terms of seeding for the conference tournament. The visiting Ramblers looked to be the sharper side in the opening minutes of the first half. Freshman Hailey Merrill forced a diving stop out of Simone Busby, the Evansville goalkeeper in the 15th minute. Busby then denied senior Tricia Stonebraker's attempt on the follow up. Gonyo answered her counterpart by making a pair of saves at the other end of the field shortly after.
The goalkeepers continued to rule as the half wore on, with each notching another save before the referee sounded his halftime whistle. Despite being outshot, 9-6, and not generating a corner in the opening 45 minutes, Loyola found itself in a scoreless deadlock at the end of the first half.
With just over ten minutes gone in the second half, the Ramblers took advantage of a mistake by the home side. A failed clearance in the middle of the 18-yard box left Stonebraker with a golden opportunity to put Loyola on top. The Anchorage, Alaska product calmly slotted home her third goal of the season, past a diving Busby, from twelve yards out to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute.
Stonebraker had a chance to double the Loyola lead in the 79th minute but her headed attempt was cleared off the line by the Evansville defense. Gonyo continued to anchor the defense, making one of her four second half saves on Abby Springer's shot in the 82nd minute as time began to tick away on the Purple Aces.
Even with the lead, the Ramblers continued to press forward in search of a second goal. Consistent pressure resulted in a pair of Loyola corners as the game entered its final five minutes. Following a service from sophomore Jessica Bean, the ball caromed around in the box before junior Allison Shimer volleyed it past Busby at the near post from three yards out, scoring her first goal of the season and sinking a dagger into the hearts of the Purple Aces in the process. After one final save from Gonyo, the referee's final whistle sounded, clinching Loyola's first-ever Missouri Valley Conference road victory.
The Ramblers can now turn their attention towards the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Loyola will be the third seed and host the sixth-seeded Drake Bulldogs at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, from Loyola Soccer Park.
