Final Stats

CHICAGO - A goal from sophomore Avalon Senn-Raemont in the late stages of the second half propelled the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Northern Iowa this evening at Loyola Soccer Park. The win, which sees Loyola improve its record to 7-7-4 overall (2-2-2 MVC), clinches the Ramblers a berth in the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Championship.

"The quality of the play tonight was fantastic," Loyola head women's soccer coach Barry Bimbi said. "It's a grind in this conference in every game so we're really proud of the girls. There was a time where we could've gotten frustrated because we were creating some pretty good chances and just not finishing. We kept after it though and scored a late goal. It was a great play from Jenna (Szczesny) to turn the corner and Avalon made a fantastic run to get the tap-in."

Chances during the first half were at a premium for both sides on a cool, windy night on Chicago's North Side. Senior Jessica Bean recorded the first shot of the night in the 18th minute, firing well wide of goal. Bean, out of Tinley Park, Ill., came within inches of giving the Ramblers a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute when she unleashed a blast from the top of the box that barely snuck over the crossbar.

Loyola looked to be taking control of the game as the half wore on, pinning the visitors from Cedar Falls, Iowa back in their own third of the field. Senn-Raemont nearly made it 1-0 just inside 30 minutes when she directed a cross from fellow sophomore Katie Grall towards the near post, only to watch as Whitney Blunt, the Panther netminder, made a diving save. Senior Mariah Vichich would go on to force another stop of Blunt just over five minutes later as the game headed to halftime in a scoreless deadlock.

In stark contrast to the opening stanza, both teams, fighting for their respective postseason lives, came out firing early on in the second half. Freshman Jenna Szczesny and Grall both had attempts blocked by Panther defenders inside the first two minutes following the restart. Annie Dale looked to have given the Panthers the lead in the 56th minute when she headed home a service off of a Blunt free kick but saw the goal disallowed due to the offside flag being up.

Following a save from sophomore Maddie Ford, who tied Loyola's single-season shutouts record this evening, in the 73rd minute to keep things all square, Loyola continued to press forward in search of a late winner. Junior Ciara Murray nearly tucked her 79th-minute attempt from 10 yards out inside the near post, forcing a fine save out of Blunt.

The duo of Szczesny and Senn-Raemont would provide the Ramblers with their breakthrough only three minutes later. Szczesny, after battling for possession on the left flank, sent a low service across the face of goal that found its way past Blunt, leaving Senn-Raemont with a tap-in to put Loyola on top, 1-0. The Rambler defense went on to close the show, not allowing the Panthers another shot, as the Maroon & Gold secured its passage into the conference tournament.

Loyola, set to enter the postseason as the five seed, will open tournament play on the road against fourth-seeded Illinois State on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Adelaide Street Field in Normal, Ill.