CHICAGO (October 15, 2019) – The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team will look to finish off a perfect homestand on Wednesday evening when it welcomes Valparaiso to Loyola Soccer Park for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
 
Last Time Out: Loyola extended its win streak to six games last Saturday, downing visiting Missouri State by a final count of 2-0 in Rogers Park.  Senior Savanah Cruz opened the scoring just five minutes into the first half, while junior Katharine Stephens, who was named the Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, added her first goal of the season during the early stages of the second half.  Senior Madison Laudeman, who added the assist on Stephens' tally, was tabbed the MVC Defensive Player of the Week after helping lead Loyola to a program-record fourth straight shutout.
 
vs. Valparaiso: Valparaiso enters Wednesday's matchup still in search of its first win of the 2019 campaign, sitting at 0-12-1 overall (0-3-0 MVC).  The Crusaders are coming off a tightly contested 1-0 loss to Illinois State this past Saturday at Brown Field.  Under the direction of head coach John Marovich, Valparaiso was tabbed seventh in the MVC Preseason Poll following a 2018 season that saw it finish 5-8-3 overall, a mark that included a 2-4-1 ledger in Valley play.  Lauren Torhorst has scored a pair of goals for a Valparaiso attack that averages just 0.46 goals per game, a mark that sits at the bottom of conference rankings in the category.  The Crusader attack has begun to turn a corner since the start of Valley play, having found the back of the net three times.  Kezia Gesell has started in goal in all three of the team's Valley contests and holds a 2.00 goals against average.
 
Series Stuff: Former rivals in the Horizon League, Loyola and Valparaiso will meet for the fourth time as MVC foes on Wednesday and 28th time overall.  After seeing Valparaiso rattle off four straight victories from 2014-17, Loyola has prevailed in each of the last two matchups to open up a 17-9-1 edge in the all-time series.  Loyola turned in a dominant all-around performance in last season's meeting between the two teams in Northwest Indiana, defeating Valparaiso by a final count of 2-0.  Laudeman and Jenna Szczesny each scored, while the Ramblers held the hosts to just three attempts on the evening.
 
Up Next: Loyola opens up a stretch that will see it close the regular season with two of its final three games on the road when it battles Illinois State, which enters the week tied atop the MVC table with the Ramblers, on Sunday afternoon.  Kickoff from Adelaide Street Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.