Final Stats

CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team battled Drake to a scoreless draw in double overtime tonight at Loyola Soccer Park. With the result, the Ramblers move to 4-9-1 (1-0-1 Missouri Valley), while the Bulldogs now sit at 5-7-2 (0-1-2 Missouri Valley). Loyola now owns sole possession of second-place in the Missouri Valley Conference table.

"From a game perspective, Drake earned a point on the road and we dropped two at home," Loyola head women's soccer coach Barry Bimbi commented. "Performance wise, I thought we were awesome tonight. We told the girls to take a good feeling about our performance but be a little mad since we dropped two points at home. Now we need to really focus on Saturday night and try to get three points."

Allison Shimer looked to put the Maroon & Gold on top in the fourth minute on a cool fall evening in Rogers Park. The senior out of Grove City, Ohio settled a cross from Avalon Senn-Raemont but Kylynn Moyer, the Drake goalkeeper, was able to jump up to make the save. Shimer was back at it again 15 minutes later when she fired wide off a delivery from Katie Grall.

It would take until the 24th minute for goalkeeper Monica Gonyo to be called into action. The New Berlin, Wis. product managed to deflect Rebecca Rodgers' headed attempt off the crossbar and clear it away before it could cross the line. Gonyo turned in her finest save on the evening under four minutes later when she stoned Rodgers' point-blank shot from five yards out to keep the game level. Valerie Gonyo hoped to strike at the other end in the 31st minute when she headed a corner kick from Shelby Koch, one of seven Loyola corners on the evening, wide of the near post. Rodgers forced a final save out of Gonyo off a free kick from the edge of the 18-yard box in the 34th minute as the two conference rivals headed to the halftime break at 0-0.

Shimer again looked to spark the Ramblers to begin the second half when she flicked another Koch corner service just wide of the near post. That would be the only attempt until Sammy Gage missed wide in the 69th minute as neither team was able to establish a presence in the attacking third of the field. Senn-Raemont looked to have a golden opportunity five minutes later when she beat an onrushing Moyer to the ball but was unable to curl her shot around the keeper, going wide of the near post. A nearly identical scenario played itself out in the 83rd minute when Moriah Schwarz sent a through ball in the direction of Carolina Dunbar. Moyer again came out to rush a shot out of the freshman, who also rolled her shot wide as the game headed to overtime.

Loyola did not allow the visiting Bulldogs a shot during either extra session, holding a 3-0 advantage in the category. Senn-Raemont came the closest on any of those attempts during the second overtime when Valerie Gonyo sent a ball into the box that the freshman out of McHenry, Ill. just missed tucking inside the far post off a headed attempt. Despite outshooting Drake 13-5, Loyola was forced to settle for a point as the game ended scoreless.

The Ramblers can now turn their attention to a showdown with Illinois State, the three-time defending Missouri Valley Conference Champion, on Saturday night in Chicago. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park.