In Short…
Freshman Megan Nemec found the back of the net twice over a three-minute span late in the second half as the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team came from behind to defeat Missouri, 2-1, this afternoon at Walton Stadium in Columbia, Mo.  Today's victory moves the Ramblers to 2-3-1 on the year, while the Tigers see their perfect start to the 2019 season come to an end, falling to 5-1-0.
 
Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"When a group believes in themselves, anything is possible.  I think the sky is the limit with this team if we continue to work hard and get a little better every week."
 
How It Happened
As was the case in Thursday's clash with Wisconsin, Loyola showed no fear of another power five conference opponent.  An early free kick from senior Madison Laudeman found its way to the feet of fellow senior Sienna Cruz inside the 18-yard box, only for Cruz to have her close-range effort blocked away by a Tiger defender.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Grace Droessler, fresh off a seven-save effort against the Badgers, notched a pair of diving saves in the half's middle stages to keep things scoreless, leaving her feet to deny Julissa Cisneros on two separate occasions.  Bethany Coons was able to find her way behind the Loyola backline just in front of the half-hour mark, generating a one-on-one opportunity with Droessler, but pulled her attempt well wide of goal as the two teams headed to halftime in a scoreless stalemate.
 
Missouri struck for the afternoon's opening goal just seven minutes after the restart, with Sarah Luebbert finishing on a counterattack to put the Tigers on top, 1-0.  Droessler made sure that the deficit stayed at one in the 65^th minute, dropping down to stop Cisneros' effort at her near post.
 
Following another Droessler save, the freshman pairing of Nemec and Amanda Cassidy linked up to pull Loyola even in the 76^th minute.  Cassidy sent a ball across the face of goal that connected with Nemec, who directed home from inside the six-yard box to make it 1-1.  The duo would connect again only three minutes later, with Cassidy sending a long ball forward that was run down by Nemec.  The freshman did the rest, chipping around Missouri goalkeeper Peyton Bauman before calmly slotting in on an empty net to send Loyola in front, 2-1.  Bauman came up with a crucial stop on Cruz's blast in the 88^th minute, keeping the hosts within striking distance with time ticking away.  Loyola withstood a furious late charge from Missouri in the closing seconds, securing its first road win of the season.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Today's victory is Loyola's second road win over a Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent in three seasons following a 5-2 triumph at Kentucky back on October 15, 2017.
- Nemec's two tallies from the second half bring her total on the year to three. The Tinley Park, Ill. native currently leads Loyola with eight overall points.
- Cassidy registered her first collegiate assist on Nemec's first goal of the day.
- Cruz closed the game with a team-high five shots, putting three on target.
- Droessler turned in another standout effort, finishing with six saves en route to her first career victory.
 
Up Next
Loyola will look to stay hot when it hosts local rival DePaul on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the latest installment of the "Red Line Rivalry" at Loyola Soccer Park.