CHICAGO (November 7, 2021)
In Short…
For the second time in less than 48 hours, four different Ramblers found the back of the net as the top-seeded Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team (13-2-2, 7-0-1 MVC) booked its return ticket to the NCAA Tournament in a 4-0 win over sixth-seeded Evansville (7-5-7, 2-3-3 MVC) this afternoon in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship title game at Loyola Soccer Park.
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"Today was about experience and being proficient in those moments. I actually thought we came out a little nervous, and then we settled into the game. Once we scored the first goal, we got on a roll and relaxed a little bit. This team is really special. They have a different hunger than most teams and we'll see where it takes us."
How It Happened
Both teams struggled for early scoring chances on a resplendent day for soccer in Rogers Park. Senior goalkeeper
Maddie Hausmann and Evansville netminder Michaela Till traded saves in the opening quarter hour, with the ladder denying junior
Megan Nemec's headed effort in the 15
th minute. Till came up with another impressive stop five minutes later, sliding in to parry away a free kick from junior
Olivia Knab.
Loyola broke the scoreless deadlock just before the half-hour mark, converting off a set piece. After seeing freshman
Taylor Harrison hit the crossbar only two minutes earlier, senior
Bailey Faulkner played a corner to graduate student
Jenna Ross, who unleashed a one-time effort that found its way through traffic and in at the far post, giving the Ramblers a 1-0 lead.
The Maroon & Gold were back on the board in the 32
nd minute. Ross found herself in the mix again, delivering a throw-in that deflected off a Purple Aces' defender before being corralled by junior
Amanda Cassidy. Cassidy calmly slotted her close-range effort past an onrushing Till, pushing the lead to 2-0 at halftime.
Loyola wasted no time upping its advantage in the second half, adding another tally seven minutes in. Another Ross throw-in created havoc for the visitors, as the Purple Aces sent an attempted clearance into their own net to stretch the gap to 3-0. Things only got worse for Evansville in the 64
th minute when Emily Olson was shown her second yellow card of the afternoon, reducing the Purple Aces to 10 players for the remainder of the day.
The Ramblers continued to pour on pressure with time ticking away, ultimately striking again in the 77
th minute. After seeing her own shot blocked seconds earlier, sophomore
Madeleine Barone fed junior
Megan Demski, who drilled a left-footed blast that bested a diving Till at her near post, cementing the final 4-0 scoreline as Loyola celebrated a Valley tournament title before its home crowd for the third time in the last four seasons.
Looking At The Numbers
- Ross' 29
th-minute strike, which went down as the game-winner, was her first goal of the season and saw her become the 15
th different member of the Loyola roster to score in 2021.
- Hausmann, who made her lone save of the day in the first half, picked up her 10
th shutout of the year, a mark which moves her to the top of the program's single-season record board in the category.
- Cassidy added her second goal of the tournament in the 32
nd minute, while Demski struck for her fifth goal of the campaign in the late stages of the second half.
- For their efforts over the last two games, Cassidy, Ross, Nemec, and senior
Abby Swanson were named to the MVC All-Tournament Team, with Cassidy taking home Most Valuable Player honors.
Up Next
Loyola will now await its opponent for the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship, which is slated to begin on Friday, November 12. The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Selection Show will air exclusively on ncaa.com at 3:30 p.m. (CT) on Monday, November 8.
