CHICAGO (September 22, 2021) – The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team (5-2-1, 1-0-0 MVC) looks to continue its perfect start to Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday when it hosts Northern Iowa on Alumni Night at Loyola Soccer Park. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m., with the Ramblers' men's soccer team's matchup with Drake to follow at 7 p.m. as part of a doubleheader.
Last Time Out: Abby Swanson scored with only five seconds remaining in regulation to push Loyola past Indiana State, 2-1, on Saturday in Rogers Park. After falling into an early hole,
Megan Nemec scored her team-best fourth goal of the season in the 54
th minute to put the Ramblers back on level terms and set the stage for Swanson's game-winner. The Maroon & Gold turned in a dominant effort in the second half, outshooting the Sycamores by a 17-0 margin.
vs. UNI: Fresh off a 2-0 home win over Kansas City on Sunday afternoon, UNI enters Saturday's matchup with the Ramblers at 3-6-1 overall (0-1-0 MVC).
Picked fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, the Panthers dropped their Valley opener, 2-0, to Evansville this past Friday.
Preseason All-MVC honoree Lauren Heinsch has been a force in the final third for head coach Bruce Erickson's side, having racked up a Valley-best five goals in addition to two assists across her first nine appearances of 2021. Ashley Harrington has also made her mark on the offensive end, chipping in two goals and a team-high three assists. Caitlin Richards has seen the majority of time in goal, starting in six of her seven appearances. She holds a 1.57 goals against average and a 0.733 save percentage.
Series Stuff: Loyola and Northern Iowa will meet for the 14th time on Saturday in Rogers Park, with all but four of those encounters coming after the Maroon & Gold's move to the MVC prior to the 2013 season.
The Ramblers have rattled off five straight victories to open up a 9-3-1 (.731) edge in the all-time series. Loyola has been even more dominant at home, owning an unblemished 6-0-0 mark in meetings between the two teams at Loyola Soccer Park.
When the two teams met back on March 10, 2021 at Memorial Stadium in Waterloo, Iowa, a 20th-minute goal from
Freya Glen was the difference as Loyola picked up a 1-0 win over Northern Iowa in a game that was called in the 72nd minute due to severe weather.
Up Next: Loyola opens up a two-game road swing at Evansville on Wednesday, September 29.
