MVC Women's Soccer Championship Central | The Valley on ESPN3 vs. Missouri State | Live Stats vs. Missouri State

CHICAGO (November 1, 2017) – The third-seeded Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team continues play in the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Championship when it faces off with second-seeded Missouri State in a semifinal-round clash on Friday evening in Springfield, Mo.  Kickoff from Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: Loyola used a two-goal performance from junior Jenna Szczesny to defeat sixth-seeded Valparaiso, 2-1, in an opening-round game last Sunday at Loyola Soccer Park.  Szczesny opened the scoring in the 34^th minute before ultimately providing the game-winning goal seven minutes into the second half.  Senior goalkeeper Maddie Ford tallied five saves to help the Maroon & Gold book a third-straight berth in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
 
vs. Missouri State: Missouri State charges into the tournament as one of the Valley's hottest teams, having won three of its last four games.  The Bears closed the year with an overall record of 8-9-1 and went 4-2-1 in MVC play.  In its regular-season finale, Missouri State downed Illinois State by a count of 2-0 to clinch a second-place finish in the final league table and an automatic bye to the semifinals.  Veteran head coach Rob Brewer's side features a balanced offensive attack that boasts five players with at least three goals scored on the year.  Leading the pack for the Bears is the duo of Brooke Prondzinski (5 goals, 1 assist) and Mary Disidore (4 goals, 2 assists).  Lexi Palacio has started the last five games in goal for Missouri State and sports a 1.22 goals against average to go along with a 0.800 save percentage.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola and Missouri State will meet for the seventh time on Friday evening in Springfield.  The Ramblers own a 4-2-0 edge in the six previous meetings, all of which have come since the Maroon & Gold's move to the Valley prior to the start of the 2013-14 academic year.  Loyola picked up its third-straight win in the all-time series earlier this season as it rolled to a 5-0 victory over the Bears on Oct. 1 at Loyola Soccer Park.  Szczesny opened the scoring with a goal in the 13th minute before adding a second tally in the 71st minute as part of a four-goal second-half outburst.
 
Up Next: With a victory over Missouri State on Friday evening, Loyola would move on to the championship game of the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Championship, where it would face the winner of Friday's first semifinal between top-seeded Drake and fourth-seeded Northern Iowa, on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Springfield, Mo.