CHICAGO (April 26, 2021) – Just over a week removed from booking its third straight NCAA Tournament trip, the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team (8-1-1, 6-1-1 MVC) will begin action in the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship on Tuesday afternoon against Denver.  The First Round clash between the Ramblers and Pioneers is slated to kickoff at 2 p.m. (CT) at the Sportsplex in Matthews, N.C.
 
Loyola will be seeking its first NCAA Tournament victory in program history.  The Ramblers are 0-5-0 (.000) all-time in NCAA play, having been outscored by a 12-0 margin across five previous appearances.
 
Last Time Out: Senior Freya Glen scored in the 35^th minute of play as Loyola defeated Valparaiso by a final margin of 1-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship title game back on April 18 at Loyola Soccer Park.  The Maroon & Gold limited Valparaiso to just four attempts in the contest, winning their third consecutive MVC Tournament crown.
 
vs. Denver: Denver rolls into the NCAA Tournament on an eight-game tear that has seen it move to 16-2-1 overall on the year.  Currently ranked 22^nd in the College Soccer News Poll, the Pioneers were dominant in Summit League play, going 14-1-1 en route to winning the conference's regular season and tournament titles. 
 
Eight members of 29th-year head coach Jeff Hooker's team earned All-Summit League honors.  Leading the way was Summit League Offensive Player of the Year Natalie Beckman, who leads Denver with 10 goals and a Division I-best 14 assists.  Joining Beckman as Summit League First Team honorees were Sami Feller (8 goals, 8 assists), Meg Halvorson (2 goals, 1 assist), and Taylor Parker (0 goals, 2 assists).  Nerea Arrazola has played in all 1,762 minutes of game action in goal this season for Denver and holds an impressive 0.46 goals against average.  Her 12 shutouts are tied for the national lead.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola and Denver will meet for the first time in Tuesday's NCAA First Round matchup in The Tar Heel State.  The Ramblers own a 10-2-4 (.750) mark against current Summit League members, most recently picking up a 2-1 win over South Dakota on August 30, 2019 at Loyola Soccer Park. 
 
Up Next: With a victory on Tuesday, Loyola would move on to the Second Round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship, where it would battle North Carolina, the tournament's number two overall seed, on Friday, April 30 at 2 p.m. (CT) in Matthews, N.C.