In Short…
The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team found the back of the net three times during the second half to roll to a 3-0 win over host Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams this evening at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Iowa.  Tonight's victory, Loyola's fourth straight, moves the Ramblers to 6-4-1 (1-0-0 MVC), while the Bulldogs fall to 3-7-1 (0-1-0 MVC).
 
Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"Tonight we did a great job of taking Drake out of what they wanted to do offensively, which built pressure on them in their half of the field.  What I'm most proud of with this group is how they focused on a little adjustment we made at halftime and it resulted in two of our three goals."
 
How It Happened
Loyola quickly looked to take control on a rain-soaked evening in Iowa's state capital.  Junior Lindsey Hardiman and senior Ari Banks fired high and wide, respectively, inside the game's first six minutes, before graduate student Simone Wark forced a stop out of Kelsie Stone, the Bulldog netminder, in the 12^th minute of play.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Grace Droessler turned away Shelley Lyjak on a pair of separate occasions in the half's middle stages, keeping the game scoreless at halftime.
 
It took the Maroon & Gold all of 99 seconds out of the break to find an opening goal.  Wark sent a low cross into the box that connected flush with freshman Megan Nemec, who directed past Stone to put Loyola on top, 1-0.  Droessler was called into action again less than three minutes later, as she denied Erika Townley to protect the one-goal edge.
 
With time beginning to tick away, Loyola erased any hopes of a Drake comeback with a pair of goals over a 5:52 span.  Senior Savanah Cruz struck for the first of the two in the 75^th minute, sending a feed from junior Katharine Stephens home to make it 2-0.  Just under six minutes later, Stephens again found herself in the mix, joining forces with Banks to find Aleksa Tataryn, who added Loyola's third and final tally of the evening to close out an impressive road victory. 
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Tonight's win is Loyola's first on the road over Drake in program history.
- Nemec's opening goal moves her total on the year to four and keeps her atop Loyola's overall scoring chart with 11 points.
- Cruz's second-half tally was the goal of her collegiate career.  The senior became the eighth different Rambler to find the back of the net this season.
- Tataryn now has a team-high five goals to her name this season.  She sits just one goal shy of tying her career high of six, set during her sophomore campaign.
- Droessler continued her strong work between the pipes, notching four saves en route to her first career shutout.
 
Up Next
Loyola opens up a season-long three-game homestand at Loyola Soccer Park on October 5 when it hosts UNI at 7 p.m.