CHICAGO (September 19, 2019) – The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team will wrap up the non-conference portion of its 2019 schedule this coming weekend when it takes on a pair of Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponents from the state of Michigan.  The Ramblers will battle Western Michigan on Friday at 3 p.m. (CT) in Kalamazoo, Mich. before venturing east to Ypsilanti, Mich. for a 12 p.m. (CT) matchup with Eastern Michigan on Sunday.
 
Last Time Out: Loyola split a pair of games last week, falling to DePaul, 2-0, on Thursday at Loyola Soccer Park before grinding out a road victory over Northern Illinois by an identical scoreline on Sunday evening.  Freshman Amanda Cassidy and senior Aleksa Tataryn accounted for the Maroon & Gold's tallies against the Huskies, while senior Madison Laudeman was named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in both contests.
 
vs. Western Michigan: Western Michigan enters the weekend at 2-4-0 on the year.  The Broncos defeated in-state foe Oakland, 3-1, last Friday before dropping a hard-fought 2-0 decision to No. 18 Kansas two days later.  Interim head coach Sammy Boateng's team features a balanced attack, with five Broncos already having found the back of the net this season, led by Morgan Otteson's two goals.  Maggie Rogers has started in five of Western's Michigan's six games in goal and currently holds a 1.33 goals against average.
 
vs. Eastern Michigan: Currently in the midst of a five-game winless run, Eastern Michigan sits at 1-4-2 heading into Sunday's matchup with the Ramblers.  Last weekend, the Eagles wrapped up a six-game road trip, playing Youngstown State to a 0-0 stalemate and falling to Dayton by a 1-0 margin.  Like their counterparts to the west, Eastern Michigan features a roster with five different players who have scored this season, each of who have a goal to their name.  Goalkeeper Mabel Dunn has received the starting nod in all seven games this season for head coach Scott Hall, playing in 595 out of a possible 648 minutes, and sports a 2.12 goals against average.
 
Series Stuff: Western Michigan owns a 6-2-0 advantage in eight all-time meetings with Loyola, the last of which came back during a the 2016 season, a 2-1 Bronco win in Rogers Park.  Loyola and Eastern Michigan will meet for only the third time on Sunday.  The Eagles took the first meeting, 1-0, in 2015 at Loyola Soccer Park before the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw the following year in Ypsilanti, Mich.
 
Up Next: Loyola begins the defense of its Missouri Valley Conference title on the road at Drake on September 28 at 6 p.m. in the MVC opener for both teams.