In Short…
In a hard-fought match, Central Arkansas prevailed, 2-1.
Aidan Megally notched the Rambler goal on a penalty kick in the 80
th minute that cut the Bears' lead in half.
How It Happened
Tucker Stephenson and
Ethan Stoneman notched shots within the first 15 minutes to settle the Ramblers into the championship match. However, it was Central Arkansas that got on the board first with a P.K. tally in the 18
th minute.
Now in catch-up mode, Loyola didn't back down from the early deficit and matched the Bears' tempo.
Billy Hency ripped a shot a shot off the cross bar, while Lagudah stayed sharp between the posts as the half winded down.
Loyola started off the second frame strong with an early shot by
Fabian Becerra that went wide, but UCA doubled its lead on a 54
th minute goal off a header. After the second Bears goal, Loyola racked up five shots in the next 20 minutes.
A foul in the box gave
Aidan Megally a penalty kick opportunity in the 80
th minute. Megally beat UCA goalkeeper Marc Olsen in the top corner, giving himself his fifth goal of the season while cutting the Central Arkansas leas in half.
Vasco Cardoso almost tied the game less than a minute later, but his shot went just wide of the far post.
Loyola kept up the pressure in the Central Arkansas end for the final 10 minutes, but were unable to notch the equalizer, and Central Arkansas escaped with a 2-0 victory.
A Look At The Numbers
-
Tucker Stephenson,
Aidan Megally and
Grant Stoneman represented Loyola on the All-Tournament team.
-Stephenson led the Ramblers with three shots, marking the sixth time this year he's compiled three or more in a single match.
- Loyola's 13 shots is the second time they eclipsed double-digits against the Bears this season.
-Sunday was the first match of the season Loyola was involved in where both teams had a P.K. goal.
Up Next
Loyola finishes the season at a 10-7-2 clip and fall one game short of winning the conference tournament. The program returns the MVC Goalkeeper of the Year to the 2019 squad, and will also bring back three other players that received All-MVC recognition for their 2018 performance.
