Loyola Game Notes | The Valley on ESPN vs. Drake | Live Stats vs. Drake

CHICAGO (October 4, 2018) – With a pair of road wins under its belt to start Missouri Valley Conference play, the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team will return home on Saturday evening to take on fellow Valley unbeaten Drake.  The Ramblers will honor their senior class in a special ceremony ahead of the scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff at Loyola Soccer Park.
 
Last Time Out: Loyola raced out to a three-goal halftime lead and never looked back, downing Indiana State by a final count of 4-0 last Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute, Ind.  Senior Jenna Szczesny, who was recognized for a second consecutive week as the MVC Offensive Player of the Week, netted a pair of goals, while juniors Madison Laudeman and Aleksa Tataryn added single tallies.  Junior goalkeeper Kate Moran recorded a pair of stops as the Ramblers recorded their second clean sheet of the season, holding the Sycamores to just four shot attempts.
 
vs. Drake: Drake finds itself as part of a three-way tie for the top spot in the Missouri Valley Conference table at 2-0, alongside Loyola and Evansville.  The Bulldogs currently own a 5-7-0 overall mark on the year.  Head coach Lindsey Horner's team, which captured the MVC regular-season title in 2017, was tabbed fourth in The Valley's Preseason Poll.  Drake is led in the offensive third by the duo of Olivia Bruce and Alison Walls. Both members of the pairing have found the back of the net three times.  Horner's defense is anchored by Kelsie Stone, who owns a 1.08 goals against average and a 0.803 save percentage in 12 starts this season.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola and Drake will clash for the ninth time on Saturday evening in Rogers Park. The Bulldogs hold a 4-1-3 advantage in the all-time series.  All eight of the previous encounters have come since the Maroon & Gold's move to the MVC prior to the 2013-14 academic year.  Loyola will be looking to avenge a 1-0 loss last season at the Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines, Iowa. Olivia Bruce netted the game's deciding goal in the 42nd minute of play.  The Ramblers' only victory over the Bulldogs in program history came back on Nov. 6, 2015 in a thrilling 2-1 triumph in the semifinals of the 2015 MVC Women's Soccer Championship.  Szczesny put Loyola on top six minutes in before providing the vital assist on Ciara Murray's game-winning tally in the 84th minute.
 
Up Next: Loyola will play host to Illinois State next Saturday (October 13) at 5 p.m. in its "Pink Game" in support of breast cancer awareness.