Final Stats

CHICAGO - A valiant effort from the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team fell just short this evening as three-time defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Illinois State escaped with a 2-1 victory in overtime at Loyola Soccer Park. The result sees the Redbirds move to 9-5-0 (3-0-0 Missouri Valley), while the Ramblers fall to 4-10-1 (1-1-1 Missouri Valley).

"A lot of teams, against Illinois State, give up the first goal and they fold," Loyola head women's soccer coach Barry Bimbi said. "I told the girls after the game that I was so proud of them in the second half. We got the tying goal and the biggest thing for me was that it wasn't the end all. We believed that we were going to win it and we pressed on. It's a shame the way it ended because we don't take moral victories but hopefully we'll see them again in the conference tournament."

Kelli Zickert looked to had given the visitors from Normal, Ill. the lead in the 12th minute when her headed attempt got past goalkeeper Monica Gonyo, only for the referee to call off the goal due to offside flag being up. Sammy Gage forced the first save of the game out of Aryn Newsom, the Illinois State goalkeeper, in the 14th minute. Gonyo recorded her first stop of the evening when she made an outstretched save to turn away Hannah Leinert's blast seconds later.

After being denied by the linesman earlier in the half, Zickert had another opportunity fall to her feet in the 20th minute and didn't let it go to waste. She managed to tuck her shot from close distance inside the far post to give Illinois State a 1-0 advantage. The Ramblers began to ask more questions at the offensive end as the half wore on, notably when Katie Grall fired high in the 25th minute, but the Redbirds protected their lead and took it into the halftime break.

Loyola came out to begin the second half with renewed energy, immediately going in search of an equalizer. The Ramblers wouldn't have to wait long as Kara Ruffolo turned a delivery from Mariah Vichich past Newsom to level the game at 1-1 and send the largest home crowd of the season into a frenzy. Ruffolo's goal, the second of the season for the junior out of Dayton, Ohio, lifted the lid on what proved to be a very exciting second half with nonstop end-to-end action.

A handball in the box in the 66th minute gave Illinois State a golden opportunity to regain its lead from the penalty spot. Gonyo came up big again on the attempt, turning away Dagny Olson's shot at the lower right corner of her goal to keep the game knotted up.

The penalty kick save turned out to be the first of many close calls as the half wore on. A Loyola turnover resulted in a great chance for Rachel Tejada in the 67th minute but the Valley's leading goal scorer skied her attempt. Leinert came dangerously close in the 75th minute when her header from six yards out floated inches wide of the near post. Jessica Bean nearly brought the crowd out of their seats in the 81st minute when her bending shot from 25 yards came tantalizingly close to the upper corner at the far post. After two more Gonyo saves in the waning minutes of regulation, the two in-state foes headed to overtime in search of a winner.

Illinois State looked to takeover from the onset in the first extra session. The Redbirds generated an early corner before Leinert had her seventh shot of the evening saved by Gonyo. It would prove to be only a matter of time though as Olson corralled a pass from Tejada in the 95th minute and slid it into the back of the net to give Illinois State the road victory.

Loyola is back in action next Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19, when it begins a two-game road swing with a trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa for a matchup with the Northern Iowa Panthers at 1 p.m.