CHICAGO (April 18, 2021)
In Short…
A goal in the 35
th minute from senior
Freya Glen and another stout defensive showing sent the top-seeded Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team (8-1-1, 6-1-1 MVC) past third-seeded Valparaiso (5-4-5, 3-2-3 MVC), 1-0, this afternoon in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship title game at Loyola Soccer Park. Today's victory clinches the Ramblers' third straight Valley tournament crown, marking just the fourth time in the 25-year history of women's soccer in the league that a team has accomplished the feat, and sends the program to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time.
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"We've told the girls that winning never gets old. I was really proud of the way we came out today. From the opening whistle, we had a great mentality. Valparaiso was in a good space in terms of believing in what they were doing and defending hard. We were able to get a goal and open them up a little bit. There were some chances to get a second one, but we were able to keep them shut down at the back."
How It Happened
Both goalkeepers were called into action within the opening 10 minutes of play. Sophomore
Megan Nemec forced a comfortable save out of reigning MVC Goalkeeper of the Year Nikki Coryell in the ninth minute, before sophomore
Grace Droessler went to the ground less than 30 seconds later to turn away Natalie Graf's try. Coryell shined again in the 29
th minute, recording a pair of point-blank stops in rapid succession as she denied Glen and junior
Aly Kilburg following a Rambler corner kick.
Loyola's pressure proved to be a harbinger of things to come, with the Maroon & Gold finding their breakthrough with just over 10 minutes to play in the opening stanza. After a scramble inside the 18-yard box saw Nemec hit the crossbar, Glen found herself in the right place, pushing the resulting rebound past Coryell at her near post from six yards out to put the Ramblers on top, 1-0. Droessler added a pair of saves in the half's closing stages, as Loyola took a one-goal lead into the intermission.
Senior
Jenna Ross made a bid to double the lead just seven minutes into the second half, unleashing a right-footed blast from 25 yards out that was grabbed by Coryell. The Valparaiso netminder kept the visitors within striking distance as the half wore on, turning away junior
Abby Swanson in the 74
th minute.
Loyola continued to dictate the tempo as time wound down in regulation. Sophomore
Olivia Knab sent a free kick just over the bar in the 83
rd minute, while senior
Katharine Stephens nearly curled a looping attempt in at the far post less than a minute after, narrowly missing wide. The Rambler defensive unit had more than enough offensive support on the day though, holding Valparaiso to just one shot during the second half as Loyola secured its third sweep of the MVC regular season and tournament titles in as many years.
Looking At The Box Score
- Glen tallied her third goal of the year this afternoon, moving into a tie for second on the Rambler roster in the category. The London, England native's goal snapped an impressive Valparaiso shutout streak in which it held opponents scoreless for 347 consecutive minutes of play.
- Loyola finished the day with a 19-4 edge in shots, led by a game-high six attempts from Nemec, who was credited with her Valley-leading ninth assist on Glen's goal.
- Droessler recorded three saves en route to notching her second shutout of the year.
- For their efforts during the MVC Championship, Glen, Nemec, Swanson, and senior
Lindsey Hardiman were named to the MVC All-Tournament Team, with Nemec being recognized as the Most Valuable Player.
Up Next
Loyola will learn of its opponent for the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship, which will be staged exclusively in North Carolina, during Monday's NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Selection Show at 12 p.m. (CT).
