Final Stats

VALPARAISO, Ind. - Two goals in rapid succession during the first half were enough to push Valparaiso to a 2-1 victory over the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team this evening at Brown Field in Valparaiso, Ind. The Crusaders move to 6-1-4 with the win, while the Ramblers slip to 4-9-0 on the season.

Loyola goalkeeper Monica Gonyo found herself busy in the game's opening ten minutes on a cool fall night in Northwest Indiana. The New Berlin, Wis. native denied April Cronin in the 6th and 8th minutes, respectively, to keep the game scoreless early on. Katie Scarpino notched the first attempt on target for the Ramblers in the 20th minute when she had her headed attempt saved by Sydney Galvez-Daley, the Crusader netminder.

The hosts struck first in the 21st minute when Cronin was on the receiving end of a long through ball from Erika Schoemann that she tapped past Gonyo to give Valparaiso a 1-0 lead. Loyola looked to respond quickly and level the game back up. Jessica Bean had her attempt blocked seconds after the goal was scored and Kara Ruffolo fired the rebound wide to the right. The Crusaders doubled their lead just under two minutes later when Kristen Warner scored from 30 yards out to make it 2-0 in the 23rd minute. Moriah Schwarz and Scarpino each forced saves out of Galvez-Daley as the first half wore on but Loyola was unable to breakthrough before halftime as Valparaiso took a 2-0 lead into the locker room.

Robin Wenzel looked to put the game out of reach in the early stages of the second stanza when she misfired twice inside of a 30-second span. A bit of luck put the Ramblers on the board in the 61st minute when a Valparaiso defender headed a service past Galvez-Daley to bring Loyola back to within one, 2-1, with nearly a half-hour to play. The Ramblers looked to hit for a quick second tally as Katie Grall missed wide of goal in the 64th minute before Ruffolo was denied by Galvez-Daley in the 67th.

As time began to run out, chances for both teams were at a premium. Warner notched Valparaiso's last attempt of the evening when she had her shot blocked by a Rambler defender in the 80th minute. Katie Eaton hooked her shot wide left in the 84th minute as Loyola continued to press forward for an equalizer. Valerie Gonyo, who entered the game on a tear that had seen her score in four of the Ramblers' last six contests, looked to send the game into overtime in the 88th minute but had her blast stopped by Galvez-Daley as Valparaiso hung on for a victory that sees it extend its unbeaten run to ten games.

The Ramblers are back in action on Wednesday evening when they return to the friendly confines of Loyola Soccer Park for a Missouri Valley Conference clash with the Drake Bulldogs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Rogers Park.