Aug. 21, 2016

GAME INFORMATION
Final Score: Fordham 1, Loyola 0
Records: Fordham (1-0-1); Loyola (0-1-1)
Location: Loyola Soccer Park -- Chicago, Ill..
Goalkeepers of Record: W: Adaeze Obinelo (1-0-1); L: Maddie Ford (0-1-1)
Stats: Box Score

In Short…
Brooke Salmon found the back of the net in the 19th minute of play as Fordham spoiled the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team's home opener, downing the Ramblers by a final score of 1-0 this afternoon at Loyola Soccer Park. The Rams improve to 1-0-1 with the victory, while the Ramblers slip to 0-1-1.

Coach Bimbi's Thoughts…
"I thought it took us a little time to get going in the first half but we still did some nice things. What we'll really take out of this game is how good we were in the second half, creating two clear-cut goal-scoring chances. To do that in the second half of a Friday-Sunday weekend and an afternoon game in the heat shows a lot about the character of the team. Fordham deserves full credit but I thought our girls battled hard and there are definitely a lot of positives to build on going into our game at Arizona State on Friday."

How It Happened
The visitors came out attacking early on a picture-perfect day for soccer in Rogers Park. Ally Doyle and Salmon each forced saves out of junior goalkeeper Maddie Ford inside the first 10 minutes of play. Senior Ashley Bovee came close to opening the account for the Maroon & Gold on the board in the 10th minute when she headed just high of goal off of a corner kick from fellow senior Shelby Koch.

Salmon put the Rams on top, 1-0, just under nine minutes after when she collected a loose ball 25 yards out and unleashed a blast that beat a diving Ford at her near post. Claire Gastaldi had a chance to double the Fordham advantage in the 28th minute but was unable to get a full effort behind her attempt, leading to a relatively easy save for Ford that kept the deficit at one heading into halftime.

Loyola came back from the intermission and jumped on Fordham from the first whistle of the second half. An excellent run by sophomore Jenna Szczesny down the right side nearly led to a tying goal as the Hoffman Estates, Ill. product connected with Koch near the penalty spot. The senior could only watch though as her one-time effort was parried away by Adaeze Obinelo, the Fordham netminder, in the 48th minute.

Koch found herself with another chance to level things up in the 52nd minute as freshman Aleksa Tataryn provided a low cross that connected with the Mill Creek, Wash. native near the edge of the six-yard box. Obinelo turned in another fine save, diving to smother the attempt at the near post. Margaret Roughley looked to have given Fordham an insurance goal in the 76th minute when she chipped over Ford, only for Bovee to race in and clear off the line to keep Loyola within striking distance. The Ramblers was unable to break down the Fordham defense in the final quarter of an hour though as the Rams escaped with a 1-0 triumph.

Looking At The Numbers
- Fordham finished the afternoon with an 11-7 advantage in shots, including a 6-2 edge in shots on goal.
- Despite giving up a tally to Salmon, Ford was strong between the pipes for the Ramblers, making four saves.
- For the second time in as many games, the freshman duo of Tatayrn and Ari Banks earned a spot in the Loyola starting lineup.

Up Next
Loyola returns to action on Friday as it heads west to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. (CT) in Tempe, Ariz.