LINCOLN, Neb. (September 5, 2021)
 
In Short…
Host Nebraska (4-2-0) jumped out to an early two-goal edge en route to dealing the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team a 3-0 defeat this afternoon at Hibner Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.  Today's result brings an end to the Ramblers' four-game unbeaten run to begin the 2021 season, dropping the Maroon & Gold to 3-1-1.
 
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"We put together a schedule that will help our team learn and grow, in hopes of reaching our goals in November.  All credit to Nebraska for their effort today."
 
How It Happened
Nebraska got off to a red-hot start, quickly putting pressure on the Ramblers.  After seeing her first attempt of the day collected by senior goalkeeper Maddie Hausmann, Eleanor Dale opened the scoring in the sixth minute, heading a service from Marissa Popoola inside the far post to put the Cornhuskers on top, 1-0.
 
Nebraska continued to keep its foot on the gas and struck again just 12 minutes after netting the opener.  Dale found herself in the mix again, directing a Hausmann goal kick towards Reagan Raabe, who headed over the onrushing Loyola netminder from near the penalty spot to double the hosts lead, 2-0.  The Ramblers began to find their footing as the half wore on, seeing more possession, but were unable to break down a well-organized Nebraska backline as Loyola headed to halftime facing a two-goal deficit.
 
The Maroon & Gold came out as the aggressors in the second stanza, generating five corner kicks over a 3:02 span in the early stages.  The second nearly resulted in the Ramblers trimming the deficit to one, as senior Bailey Faulkner sent a delivery towards the far post that took a fortuitous bounce for Nebraska before being cleared away.
 
With time beginning to tick away, the Cornhuskers put the game to rest on a counterattack.  Abbey Schwarz delivered a feed to a sprinting Jordan Zade, who tucked her attempt from just inside the 18-yard box under the crossbar at the upper left corner, upping the Nebraska lead to 3-0.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- After being outshot by a 7-0 margin in the first half, Loyola registered three attempts during the final 45 minutes.
- Graduate student Jenna Ross recorded a team-high two shots, with fellow graduate student Katharine Stephens notching the remaining try.
- The Ramblers earned all seven of their corner kicks during the second half.
- Dale paced the Nebraska attack, scoring the game-winning goal in addition to assisting on Raabe's tally.
 
Up Next
Loyola stays on the road next week, battling BIG East Conference foes DePaul (September 9) and Xavier (September 12).