ST. LOUIS, Mo. (October 29, 2022)
 
In Short…
The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team saw its 2022 season come to an end this afternoon, as the eighth-seeded Ramblers dropped a 3-0 decision to top-seeded Saint Louis (18-1, 10-0 A-10) at Hermann Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship.  Today's result sees the Ramblers finish the year at 8-8-3 overall (4-5-1 A-10).
 
How It Happened
After a relatively even opening 15 minutes, Saint Louis began to ramp up its attack, generating a pair of corner kicks over a two-minute span, the second of which saw Lyndsey Heckel fire high of goal in the 24^th minute.
 
Loyola goalkeeper Naya Lipkens made her first of two saves in the opening stanza in the 27^th minute, diving to collect Sophia Stram's backheel effort at her near post.  Lipkens added a point-blank stop on Hannah Larson six minutes later to send the two Jesuit foes to halftime in a scoreless stalemate.
 
Saint Louis broke Loyola's resistance off a set piece five minutes after the restart.  Following a Rambler foul, Stram lofted a free kick towards the far post that was fed across the face of goal to Heckel, who narrowly snuck her attempt from inside the six-yard box under the glove of Lipkens to put the hosts on top, 1-0.  The Billikens struck again in the 56^th minute, with Heckel directing in following a corner kick to push the gap to 2-0.
 
Facing a two-goal deficit, Loyola looked to find a route back into the game, with Emily Roberts taking aim from outside the 18-yard box, only to see her shot blocked by a Billiken defender.  Lipkens kept the deficit at two in the 65^th minute, denying Hannah Friedrich, but Hannah Sawyer added a third just over three minutes later, slotting home to make it 3-0 as Saint Louis booked its spot in the semifinals.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Loyola struggled to break down a well-organized Saint Louis defense throughout the afternoon, as the Ramblers were limited to just one attempt.
- The Maroon & Gold did well to keep a potent Billiken attack quiet in the first half, holding the hosts to just six shots over the opening 45 minutes.
- Lipkens closed the day with five saves in goal.
 
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"We've been grinding all season and never really found our top gear, but all the credit goes to Saint Louis because they currently have a gear we don't.  We learned a lot in our first year in the Atlantic 10, including what the standard is and where we need to improve.  Aly Kilburg and Abby Swanson have been amazing players and ambassadors of our program and I can't thank them enough for what they have done to put Loyola women's soccer on the map, and to our other seniors for their hard work and dedication throughout their careers."