CHICAGO (November 5, 2021)
In Short…
The top-seeded Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team (12-2-2, 7-0-1 MVC) found the back of the net just over three minutes into the first half and never looked back, picking up a 4-1 win over fifth-seeded Drake (8-7-5, 2-3-3 MVC) in the semifinals of the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Tonight's result from Loyola Soccer Park sees the Ramblers move within one win of a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"It's fantastic to get a win in the conference semifinals. I couldn't be happier with the way our girls came out, scoring three and a half minutes in. We talk a lot about being true to ourselves and not getting caught up in the emotion of tournament play. We have a ton of experience in this situation, and I think it showed tonight."
How It Happened
Any early nerves on a cool evening in Rogers Park were settled in the fourth minute, as junior
Amanda Cassidy directed a centering feed from graduate student
Katharine Stephens into the back of the net from close range to stake the Maroon & Gold to a 1-0 lead.
After seeing senior goalkeeper
Maddie Hausmann comfortably collect Haley Horman's effort in the 18
th minute, the Ramblers went right back to work just under a minute later. Junior
Megan Nemec intercepted a pass at the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a blast that bested Drake goalkeeper Kelsie Stone at her far post to double the lead, 2-0.
Loyola continued to apply pressure as time wore down in the first half and struck for a third with only three minutes to play. Junior
Olivia Knab sent an inswinging corner kick towards the near post that was deflected by a Bulldog defender on its way to falling to sophomore
Madeleine Barone, who poked her effort over the line. A video review that followed confirmed the goal, as the Ramblers rolled into halftime with a 3-0 advantage.
The Maroon & Gold showed no signs of slowing down coming out of the intermission, as the pairing of senior
Bailey Faulkner and freshman
Taylor Harrison joined forces to add a fourth for Loyola in the 57
th minute. A Faulkner corner kick dropped perfectly to Harrison at the far post and the freshman did the rest, heading just under the crossbar to stretch the gap to 4-0. Libby Helverson pulled a goal back for the visitors in the 78
th minute to trim the margin down to three, but Drake would get no closer as Loyola coasted to the final whistle.
Looking At The Numbers
- Tonight's victory extended Loyola's win streak over Drake to seven games.
- Cassidy's opening tally was her second goal of the season, while Stephens dished out her fourth assist of the year, matching a career high.
- Nemec, who picked up her second straight MVC Player of the Year nod just 24 hours earlier, fired home her eight goal of the campaign, which proved to be the game-winner.
- Barone capped off the Ramblers' first-half onslaught with her third goal.
- The reigning MVC Freshman of the Year, Harrison continued her red-hot debut campaign with her fifth goal of 2021. Faulkner was credited with her third assist.
- Loyola turned in another strong showing at the defensive end, limiting the Bulldogs to just four shots on the evening.
Up Next
Loyola advances on to Sunday's Missouri Valley Conference Championship title game, where it will host sixth-seeded Evansville, which defeated second-seeded Valparaiso by a 2-1 final in double overtime earlier this afternoon. Kickoff from Loyola Soccer Park is set for 1 p.m.
