CHICAGO (October 16, 2022)
 
In Short…
The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team kept its hopes for a berth in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship alive this afternoon, battling visiting Duquesne (5-5-3, 3-2-3 A-10) to a 0-0 draw at Loyola Soccer Park.  Today's result, which snaps a four-game slide for the Maroon & Gold, sees the Ramblers move to 6-7-3 overall (2-5-1 A-10).
 
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"The result aside, I think the performance was great.  The girls had a mentality that we've been lacking a little bit this season.  We came out on the front foot and created a ton of chances early.  We're just in a rut right now when it comes to scoring goals.  The mentality is right and we're getting better.  That's a good Duquesne team that we played today.  Getting a point out of it is a positive, but, at the end of the day, we've got to be more efficient in the box and on our set pieces.
 
How It Happened
After an emotional pregame ceremony in which it honored its senior class, Loyola came out seemingly attacking at will.  With just five minutes gone, Megan Nemec broke through the Duquesne back line, but drove her attempt into the waiting arms of Dukes' netminder Maddie Nuendorfer.  After seeing Nuendorfer turn away Olivia Rhodes' try from outside the box, Nemec forced another terrific save out of the Duquesne netminder in the 13^th minute, unleashing a left-footed rocket from near the penalty spot that was parried away.
 
Loyola goalkeeper Naya Lipkens tallied her first stop of the day in the 29^th minute, comfortably collecting Maya Matesa's try from distance.  Kyrsten Pellikan looked to have put the Ramblers on top just three minutes later when she directed an attempt towards the far post, only to see her attempt cleared off the line by a Dukes' defender.
 
After withstanding moderate pressure from the visitors to open the second half, the Maroon & Gold came back knocking at the door again, with Jaimee Cibulka unleashing a curling effort that Nuendorfer corralled ahead of the hour mark.  Nuendorfer came up big again in the 69^th minute, collecting Alaina Abel's header off a Rambler corner kick.
 
Lipkens turned in a terrific stop in the 75^th minute to keep the Ramblers on level terms, diving to snag Brooke Kirstein's screaming shot from the edge of the 18-yard box.  Loyola continued to heap on pressure in the closing minutes, but Nuendorfer refused to budge, denying Rhodes and Amanda Cassidy inside the final six minutes as the Ramblers and Dukes shared the spoils on the day.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Loyola unleashed 16 shots, its most in a game since it registered 18 attempts against George Washington on September 25.
- Rhodes paced the Ramblers four attempts, as she, Nemec, and Cassidy all put two shots on target.
- Lipkens notched a pair of saves as the Rambler defensive unit posted its fifth clean sheet of the season.
- Nuendorfer was magnificent in anchoring Duquesne, finishing with eight saves.
 
Up Next
Loyola wraps up the home portion of its 2022 schedule on Thursday, October 20 when it entertains Massachusetts in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Loyola Soccer Park.