CHICAGO (October 28, 2021)
 
In Short…
The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team jumped out to an early two-goal edge as it left no doubt in securing a fourth straight Missouri Valley Conference regular season title, cruising to a 5-0 win over Valparaiso (10-5-2, 6-1-1 MVC) this afternoon at a rain-soaked Loyola Soccer Park.  Today's victory sees the Ramblers finish the regular season at 11-2-2 overall and 7-0-1 in MVC play, becoming the first program in league history to win four consecutive outright regular season crowns.
 
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"Really proud of the girls.  We've been talking since August about the target on our back.  To come out and jump out to a 2-0 lead right away was great.  You could see it in their eyes at practice yesterday that they were focused and sharp.  This group is special.  To be the first Valley team to win four consecutive regular season titles says a lot about them."
 
How It Happened
Consistent rain throughout the day didn't slow down the Loyola attack, as the Ramblers wasted no time in pinning Valparaiso back, with juniors Amanda Cassidy and Megan Nemec each forcing saves out of Beacons' netminder Nikki Coryell in the opening 15 minutes.
 
Loyola found its breakthrough in the 26^th minute.  Junior Olivia Knab saw her corner kick cleared only as far as sophomore Alaina Abel, who sent a feed back into the box that was headed across the face of goal by freshman Taylor Harrison to a waiting graduate student Katharine Stephens.  Stephens did the rest, depositing her attempt from inside the six-yard box into the top of the net to give the Maroon & Gold a 1-0 edge.
 
The Ramblers struck again just seven minutes later.  Harrison fed a ball forward that was chased down by a sprinting Nemec before she deposited her try past a sprawling Coryell to double the lead, 2-0.  Things only got worse for the visitors in the 38^th minute, as Cassidy Eckstein was shown a straight red card, bringing the Beacons down to 10 players for the remainder of the day as Loyola took a two-goal advantage into halftime.
 
Loyola capitalized again off a set piece in the 64^th minute.  Another Knab corner kick ultimately found its way to senior Bailey Faulkner, who unleashed a blast through traffic that bested Coryell, upping the gap to 3-0.  Sophomore Madeleine Barone pushed the margin to 4-0 just under 15 minutes later, unleashing a screaming effort off a feed from graduate student Kailee Coonan into the back of the net.
 
Junior Megan Demski added an exclamation point in the 85^th minute of play, drilling a right-footed try off the far post and across the line to stretch the lead to 5-0.  A wild celebration followed only five minutes later, as Loyola reveled before its home faithful.    
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Loyola tallied five goals for the second time in as many games this afternoon.  The Ramblers finished the regular season with a Valley-best 33 goals.
- Stephens' opening strike, which went down as the game-winner, was her second goal of 2021.
- Nemec added her team-leading seventh goal in the 33^rd minute.
- Faulkner struck for her first collegiate goal in the middle stages of the second half, becoming the 14^th different Rambler to score this season.
- Barone netted her second goal of the year in the 78^th minute, while Demski tallied her fourth goal in the closing stages.
- Harrison was credited with assists on each of the Maroon & Gold's first two goals.  She now ranks second, alongside Demski, on Loyola's overall points leaderboard with 11.
- Graduate student Jenna Ross notched her second helper of the year in the second half, while Abel, Coonan, and graduate student Giulia Rabbito each dished out their first assists today.
- Senior goalkeeper Maddie Hausmann posted her ninth shutout of the year, matching former Rambler Maddie Ford's single-season program record in the category.
- Loyola was again dominant at both ends of the field, outshooting Valparaiso by a 26-0 margin.
 
Up Next
By virtue of finishing atop the league table, Loyola will be the top seed for the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Championship and will serve as the host for the semifinal round and title game.  The Ramblers will battle the winner of the opening-round tilt between fourth-seeded Northern Iowa and fifth-seeded Drake on Friday, November 5 in a 6 p.m. kickoff at Loyola Soccer Park.