CHICAGO (September 26, 2019) – Winners of its last three games, the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team will open Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday evening when it battles Drake at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Iowa at 6 p.m.
 
Last Time Out: Loyola closed out non-conference play with a pair of road victories over Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponents from the state of Michigan last weekend, defeating Western Michigan, 4-1, before downing Eastern Michigan in overtime, 1-0.  Graduate student Simone Wark, who was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday, found the back of the net twice against the Broncos before providing the assist on junior Lindsey Hardiman's game-winner in Loyola's victory over the Eagles.
 
vs. Drake: Coming off a 1-0 overtime setback to Omaha on Tuesday, Drake, which was picked second in The Valley's Preseason Poll, enters conference play at 3-6-1 overall.  Following an 0-4-0 start to the season, 12^th-year head coach Lindsey Horner's team began to find its footing as the calendar turned to September, going 3-2-1 over its last six games.  The Bulldogs are led in the offensive third by the pairing of Vanessa Kavan and Libby Helverson, each of who have a goal and two assists to their name.  2018 Second Team All-Valley selection Kelsie Stone has played every minute of all 10 games this season, posting a 1.36 goals against average and a 0.776 save percentage.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola and Drake will meet for the 11^th time on Saturday evening in Iowa's state capital.  The Bulldogs hold a slim 4-3-3 edge in the previous 10 encounters, all of which have come since Loyola's move to The Valley prior to the start of the 2013 season.  The most recent matchup between the two teams came in the championship game of the 2018 MVC Women's Soccer Championship.  Loyola overcame a late deficit, as Abby Swanson put the Ramblers back on level terms in the 70^th minute before a 76^th-minute tally from Katherine Stephens helped secure the Maroon & Gold a thrilling 3-2 victory.  Loyola will be in search of its first road win over Drake in program history, having gone 0-3-1 in four tries.
 
Up Next: Loyola is back in action on October 5 when it returns to the friendly confines of Loyola Soccer Park for a 7 p.m. kickoff against UNI.