BOCA RATON, Fla. (August 27, 2021)
In Short…
The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team continued its perfect start to the 2021 season this evening, picking up a 2-0 win over Florida Atlantic (1-2-0) at the FAU Soccer Stadium in Boca Raton, Fla. Now sitting at 3-0 on the young campaign, the Maroon & Gold have matched the best start to a season in program history, a feat last achieved by the 2006 Ramblers.
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"We put together a schedule that will test us every week leading into conference play, and tonight we passed a huge test on the road. You need some luck to win games, which we got when Florida Atlantic missed a great chance. That was followed up by a moment of brilliance from Megan (Demski). We'll focus on our recovery for another great test on Sunday against Florida Gulf Coast."
How It Happened
Loyola came out firing on a warm evening north of Miami, with junior
Megan Nemec and sophomore
Madeleine Barone each forcing saves out of Florida Atlantic goalkeeper Amit Cohen. The Ramblers continued to ask questions of the Owls' backline, as Nemec and freshman
Taylor Harrison both fired wide of net just past the quarter hour mark.
The Ramblers found the night's opening goal through a terrific piece of individual skill from junior
Megan Demski in the 40
th minute. Demski unleashed a left-footed blast from the edge of the 18-yard box that bested Cohen and found its way in at the upper corner at the far post, sending the Maroon & Gold sprinting into halftime with a 1-0 advantage.
Florida Atlantic wasted no time in pursing an equalizer coming out of the locker room. Senior goalkeeper
Maddie Hausmann was up to the task in net though, denying Miracle Porter and Erin McRae in rapid succession in the 56
th minute to preserve the lead.
The paring of Nemec and fellow junior
Olivia Knab provided Loyola with some insurance in the 79
th minute. As was the case in last Sunday's home win over SIUE, Knab provided a service from a corner kick and Nemec did the rest, directing home to double the lead and put the exclamation point on a road victory.
Looking At The Numbers
- Tonight's triumph not only saw Loyola match its best start to a season in program history, but also marks the first win in the state of Florida in Rambler annals.
- Demski's opening tally, which proved to be the game-winner, was the first goal of her collegiate career.
- Nemec notched her team-high third goal of the season, while Knab was credited her third assist of the year, a mark that also leads the Rambler roster.
- Hausmann added two saves en route to her second consecutive clean sheet, as Loyola outshot the host Owls by a 13-5 margin.
Up Next
Loyola goes after a weekend sweep on Sunday, August 29 when it heads west to Fort Myers, Fla. for a 12 p.m. (CT) tilt with Florida Gulf Coast.
