Nov. 2, 2014
Final Stats
DES MOINES, Iowa - Drake withstood a furious rally from the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team, defeating the Ramblers, 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this afternoon at the Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines, Iowa. With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 9-8-2 and move on to face Evansville in the semifinals, while the Ramblers see their season end with a record of 5-13-1.
The third-seeded Bulldogs wasted no time in jumping on top in front of their home crowd. Kayla Armstrong gave Drake a 1-0 lead with only 44 seconds gone when her shot from the corner of the box curled inside the far post, putting the Ramblers in an early hole. Monica Gonyo stepped up in the aftermath of the early tally, making a pair of saves near the quarter-hour mark. Kara Ruffolo had the best chance of the opening stanza for the Maroon & Gold in the 20th minute. The junior out of Dayton, Ohio broke free near the edge of the box. A closing Bulldog defender did just enough to not allow Ruffolo to get her best effort behind the attempt, resulting in a relatively easy save for Kylynn Moyer, the Drake netminder.
Drake doubled its advantage in the 22nd minute when Ashlie Stokes landed the second of two deflections off an Armstrong blast from the top of the arc to make it 2-0. Ruffolo forced another save out of Moyer two minutes later but Loyola was unable to record another shot on goal for the remainder of the half as Drake took a two-goal lead into the break.
With their season potentially down to its final 45 minutes, the Ramblers pushed forward in search of an opening goal. Monika Lee fired high in the 50th minute before Valerie Gonyo had her shot turned away by Moyer. Loyola's persistence was rewarded in the 57th minute when Moriah Schwarz ripped a looping shot from 30 yards out that found its way inside the upper corner at the far post to put Loyola on the board, 2-1.
Now within a goal, the Ramblers continued to apply pressure on the Drake backline. Sammy Gage had a shot blocked in a scramble that led to a Jessica Bean corner kick. The Ramblers were unable to take advantage of the opportunity and the hosts made them pay when Stokes ripped a one-timer into the lower left corner of the net to reestablish a two-goal lead for the Bulldogs in the 62nd minute. Sammy Gage and Valerie Gonyo each tried to draw the goal back in rapid succession for Loyola but Moyer was up to the task in goal, stopping both shots. Shelby Koch came close to putting a second goal on the board in the 71st minute but Moyer made an outstretched save at the near post to keep the game at 3-1. Valerie Gonyo's sixth and final shot of the afternoon pulled the Ramblers back to within one, 3-2, in the 89th minute but turned out to be Loyola's final shot of the afternoon as the Bulldogs held on for the victory.
"We left everything out on the field today," Loyola head women's soccer coach Barry Bimbi commented. "I could not have asked for anything more from our women. This group responded every step of the way. The results may not reflect that, but I am so proud of them. The lessons our young players learned and the legacy our nine seniors built will carry us from this point forward."
