CHICAGO (April 12, 2021) – After what will amount to an 11-day break without head-to-head competition, the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team (6-1-1, 6-1-1 MVC) begins its quest for a third straight Missouri Valley Conference crown on Wednesday, April 14 when it plays host fourth-seeded Illinois State in the semifinals of the MVC Women's Soccer Championship. The Ramblers, who are the tournament's number one seed, and Redbirds are slated for a 4 p.m. kickoff at Loyola Soccer Park.
Last Time Out: Loyola dropped a 1-0 decision to Evansville in its regular season finale back on April 3 in Rogers Park. Emilie Hill headed home off a corner kick in the 27
th minute of play as the Purple Aces snapped the Maroon & Gold's 17-game unbeaten run in Valley play. Sophomore
Megan Nemec tallied a team-high four shots in the defeat.
vs. Illinois State: Illinois State, which advanced on penalty kicks, 3-0, following a 1-1 double-overtime draw with fifth-seeded UNI this past Sunday in Normal, Ill., sits at 4-6-1 overall. The Redbirds went 4-4-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play this spring. Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Brad Silvey, the Redbirds rank behind only Loyola on The Valley's scoring chart, having found the back of the net 15 times across 11 contests. Abby Basler leads the attack for Silvey's side in the offensive third. A two-time All-MVC honoree, Basler has four goals to her name, sharing the league lead in the category with Loyola's
Lindsey Hardiman, in addition to three assists. Ashley Santos ranks second on the team in scoring with three tallies for a Redbird offense that features six different goal scorers. Priya Gillen has seen the lion's share of work in goal, starting in all nine of her appearances en route to posting a 1.49 goals against average and a 0.594 save percentage.
Series Stuff: Loyola and Illinois State will meet for the 23rd time on Wednesday in Rogers Park. The Ramblers have picked up four straight wins over their rival to the south to trim the Redbirds' lead in the all-time series to 14-8-0 (.636). In the most recent meeting, Loyola earned a 3-2 win on March 21 at Loyola Soccer Park behind goals from
Katharine Stephens,
Olivia Knab, and
Amanda Cassidy. The two in-state rivals are no strangers to one another in postseason play, having clashed in each of the last two MVC Championships, both Rambler victories. Led by goals from
Sienna Cruz and Hardiman, Loyola downed Illinois State, 2-0, in last season's MVC Championship title game in Springfield, Mo.
Up Next: With a win over Illinois State on Wednesday, Loyola would advance to the MVC Championship title game, where it would host the winner of the semifinal-round matchup between second-seeded Indiana State and third-seeded Valparaiso on Sunday, April 18 at Loyola Soccer Park.
