The Valley on ESPN (subscription required) vs. Drake | Live Stats vs. Drake | Loyola Game Notes
CHICAGO (November 3, 2018) – The top-seeded Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team will make its first appearance in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Championship since 2015 on Sunday afternoon when it plays host to Drake, the tournament's number two seed. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Loyola Soccer Park.
Last Time Out: Loyola got off to a fast start, racing out to a two-goal lead by the 30-minute mark, before withstanding a furious rally from fourth-seeded Illinois State, hanging on for a 2-1 victory in Friday's second semifinal at Loyola Soccer Park. The senior pairing of
Madison Kimball and
Jenna Szczesny each found the back of the net as the Ramblers recorded only their fifth victory over the Redbirds in 19 attempts.
vs. Drake: Drake, which finished just two points back of Loyola in the Missouri Valley Conference table, enters Sunday's championship match in the midst of a five game unbeaten run that has seen it victorious in each of its last four games. The Bulldogs fought off sixth-seeded Evansville's upset bid in Friday's opening semifinal, with a goal by Libby Helverson in the 103rd minute proving to be the difference in a 1-0 double-overtime win. Drake is piloted by head coach Lindsey Horner, who is now in her 10th season in charge in Iowa's state capital. The duo of Olivia Bruce (4 goals) and Allison Walls (3 goals, 2 assists) spearhead the attack for Horner's side. Anchored by goalkepeer Kelsie Stone, the Bulldogs sport one of The Valley's stingiest defenses, having only allowed four goals during league play.
Series Stuff: Loyola and Drake will battle for the 10th time in Sunday's championship match as part of an all-time series that dates back to a 1-0 Bulldog victory in the 2013 season. The Bulldogs own a 4-2-3 edge in the previous nine meetings, all of which have come since the Ramblers' move to the MVC. During that five-plus year stretch, the two teams have developed a budding postseason rivalry, having met three times in the MVC Women's Soccer Championship. After failing to pick up a victory in its first two tries, Loyola earned its first-ever victory over Drake in the semifinals of the 2015 MVC Tournament, notching a 2-1 victory behind goals from Szczesny and Ciara Murray. When the two sides met back on October 6 at Loyola Soccer Park,
Aleksa Tataryn delivered the deciding blow, scoring on a one-time effort in the 76th minute to propel the Maroon & Gold to a 1-0 triumph.
Up Next: The winner of Sunday's MVC championship game will claim the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Loyola is in search of its fourth NCAA berth and first since the 2007 season.
