CHICAGO (August 30, 2022) – The Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team (2-1-1) looks to continue its solid run of form this week with another pair of games on the docket.
The Maroon & Gold return home on Thursday at 7 p.m. to play host to BIG EAST Conference power No. 19 Xavier at Loyola Soccer Park before hitting the road for a 1 p.m. tilt with Western Illinois on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Field in Macomb, Ill.
Last Time Out: Loyola earned a pair of impressive results on the road last week. After falling into a first-half hole in Thursday's matchup with No. 24 Wisconsin,
Amanda Cassidy scored in the 88
th minute to rescue a 1-1 draw against the Badgers at the McClimon Soccer Complex. In Sunday's weekend finale at SIUE,
Taylor Harrison and
Megan Nemec each found the back of the net as the Ramblers rolled to a 2-0 victory at Korte Stadium that marked head coach
Barry Bimbi's 100
th career win.
vs. Xavier: Xavier finds itself unbeaten through its first four games of 2022, sitting at 3-0-1 overall following a road sweep of Louisville, 2-1, and Ball State, 4-2, this past week that catapulted the Musketeers to No. 19 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll. Head coach Nate Lie's team is coming off a wildly successful 2021 campaign in which it won a school-record 16 games en route to capturing the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The Musketeers return 23 lettwerwinners from last season's outfit, a group spearheaded by Preseason All-BIG EAST picks Molly McLaughlin (3 goals in 2021) and Ella Rogers (4 goals in 2021).
McLaughlin is one of six different Xavier players to have found the back of the net this season, a group led by Simone Rivard-Roberts' two tallies. Maria Galley has started all four games in goal, posting a 0.75 goals against average and two shutouts.
vs. Western Illinois: Western Illinois, which entertains Milwaukee on Thursday, has struggled out of the gate this season, going 0-2-1 through its first three games. In their most recent action, the Leathernecks, who were tabbed fifth in the Summit League Preseason Poll, battled IUPUI to a scoreless stalemate last Sunday in Indianapolis, Ind.
Fresh off an 11-6-1 (5-4 Summit) finish in 2021, first-year head coach Josee Primeau's team is led by Amy Andrews and Angie Knies, both of whom were named Players to Watch by the Summit League.
Andrews, who has both Western Illinois goals this season to her name, was a goal-scoring machine in 2021, firing home a program-record 12 goals, while Knies was a fixture in the lineup, ranking fifth in minutes played. Isabel Navas Rodriguez has played in all but 45 minutes of game action this season and sports a 0.80 goals against average.
Series Stuff: Loyola and Xavier will clash for the 10th time on Thursday in Rogers Park, a series in which the Musketeers hold a slim 5-3-1 (.611) edge in across nine previous meetings. The two Jesuit rivals battled last season in Cincinnati, Ohio as Xavier picked up a 2-1 victory.
Jaimee Cibulka netted her first career goal in the 65th minute.
Sunday's weekend finale marks the first matchup between Loyola and Western Illinois since the 2014 campaign. The Ramblers, who the aforementioned meeting by a 4-0 scoreline, are unbeaten across eight meetings with the Leathernecks, owning a 6-0-2 (.778) advantage.
Up Next: Loyola concludes a run of three straight matchups against in-state opponents next week. DePaul will make its way to Rogers Park on Thursday, September 8 for the latest installment of the Red Line Rivalry. The Ramblers will then head downstate to Champaign, Ill. to clash with Illinois on Sunday, September 11.
