CHICAGO (August 17, 2022) – Following the completion of its preseason slate, the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team will officially begin the 2022 season this week with a pair of matchups.
 
The Ramblers will raise the curtain on the new campaign on Thursday evening at 6 p.m., taking on South Dakota at the First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex in Vermillion, S.D.  Loyola opens its home slate just three days later when it entertains Miami (Ohio) in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Loyola Soccer Park.
 
2022 Preview: Loyola finished the 2021 campaign at 13-3-2 overall, steamrolling through Missouri Valley Conference play with a 7-0-1 league mark en route to its fourth straight sweep of the league's regular season and tournament titles.  The Maroon & Gold gave Big Ten Conference power Purdue all it could handle in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, dropping a heartbreaking 1-0 decision in double overtime.
 
A new challenge awaits 12^th-year head coach Barry Bimbi's team in 2022, as Loyola sets off on its first season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference.  The Ramblers were tabbed to finish third in the league's preseason poll that was released last week, with graduate student Abby Swanson, senior Megan Nemec, and sophomore Alaina Abel all taking home Preseason All-Conference honors.  The trio highlights a group of 17 returning letterwinners for Bimbi, a group that includes seven starters from a year ago.
 
vs. South Dakota: South Dakota is fresh off a 2021 campaign in which it finished 10-4-4 overall, a mark that included an 8-1-0 record in home contests.  The Coyotes finished 5-3-1 in Summit League action, finishing fourth in the final league table. 
 
Now in his fifth season in charge, head coach Michael Thomas welcomes back seven starters from last season's outfit, a group that includes a trio of 2021 All-Summit League selections in Jordan Centenio, Abby Ostrem, and Taylor Ravelo.  In the recently released Summit League Preseason Poll, South Dakota was tabbed to finish fourth.
 
Centenio proved to be a force in the final third, firing home a team-high seven goals in addition to two assists to finish as the Coyotes' overall points leader (16).  Ostrem and Ravelo featured as part of a well-organized South Dakota defensive unit that allowed just 12 goals and boasted a 0.63 goals against average that ranked 17th nationally.
 
vs. Miami (Ohio): Miami (Ohio), which hosts Austin Peay on Thursday before making its way to Rogers Park, looks to build off an 8-8-3 season in 2021, the program's top win total in nine seasons.  The Redhawks were picked sixth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Preseason Poll.
 
Fourth-year head coach Courtney Sirmans team, which posted a 5-6 mark in MAC play, returns three All-MAC honorees from a season ago. 
 
Two-time Second Team All-MAC pick Camber Hayes again looks to provide stability in the defensive midfield after starting in 16 games in 2021.  Kylee Beinecke and Makenna Morrison will both look to build off impressive freshman campaigns that saw both members of the duo put up four goals en route to earning a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola and South Dakota will clash for just the fourth time in Thursday's regular season opener.  The Ramblers hold a 1-0-2 (.667) edge in the previous three encounters, with the most recent coming back on August 30, 2019, a 2-1 Loyola victory.  In the Maroon & Gold's only previous trip to Vermillion, S.D., the Ramblers and Coyotes battled to a 1-1 double-overtime draw on August 23, 2013 in what also served as the regular season opener for both teams.
 
Loyola leads its all-time series with Miami (Ohio) by a margin of 2-1-1 (.625).  The two teams met to open the 2021 regular season back on August 19 of last year, as the Ramblers picked up a 2-1 win at Kramig Field behind goals from Katharine Stephens and Kyrsten Pellikan.
 
Up Next: Loyola heads back out on the road next week, battling Wisconsin on Thursday, August 25 before heading south on Sunday, August 28 to clash with SIUE.