WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 25, 2022)
In Short…
Just days removed a hard-fought setback against No. 10 Saint Louis, the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team turned in a dominant performance, downing George Washington (3-2-5, 0-2-2 A-10) by a final count of 3-0 this afternoon at the GW Soccer Field in Washington, D.C. Today's victory sees the Ramblers improve to 6-3-2 overall and 2-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference action.
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"We talked to the team before the game about how we had the opportunity to decide the direction of our season after Thursday night's heartbreaking loss. Today's performance was very professional with a high standard set from the opening kickoff."
How It Happened
It took Loyola all of seven minutes to open the scoring in the nation's capital. Following a spirited run down the right side,
Sarah Noonan delivered a pass through to
Megan Nemec, who dribbled around George Washington goalkeeper Grace Crowe and finished from 10 yards out to quickly stake the Maroon & Gold to a 1-0 lead.
Madeleine Barone made a bid to double Loyola's lead in the 23
rd minute, driving a left-footed try wide of the far post. At the other end of the field,
Alaina Abel came up with a key intervention just past the half-hour mark when she blocked Rachel Sorkenn's shot inside the 18-yard box.
The paring of
Jaimee Cibulka and
Emily Roberts provided Loyola with a lift heading into halftime. Roberts delivered a corner kick towards the near post that landed at the feet of Cibulka and the sophomore took care of business from there, directing past Crowe to make it 2-0.
Abby Swanson came within inches of pushing the gap to 3-0 less than two minutes into the second half, ringing a long-distance try off the crossbar. The Colonials' best chance of the afternoon came in the 73
rd minute as Tori Minda pulled her free kick from the edge of the 18-yard box narrowly wide of the far post. Crowe kept faint hopes for a comeback from the hosts alive shortly after, diving to deny Cibulka's penalty kick attempt.
Any late drama was put to rest in the 79
th minute when
Amanda Cassidy directed home a centering feed from Nemec that saw the lead balloon to 3-0. Goalkeeper
Naya Lipkens locked up the shutout in the 89
th minute, making a point-blank save on Sammy Neyman to seal a victory and bring an end to George Washington's six-game home unbeaten run that dated back to last season.
Looking At The Numbers
- Nemec netted her team-high fourth goal of the season in the opening minutes ahead of dishing out her third assist of the year on Cassidy's tally. The Tinley Park, Ill. native, who currently ranks as the team's overall points leader (11), now sits alone in fifth place in Rambler annals with 21 career goals to her name.
- Cibulka matched Nemec's stat line on the day, tallying her first goal and assist of 2022.
- Cassidy's strike in the late stages of the second half upped the senior's goal count to three, a mark which matches her single-season high in the category.
- Noonan and Roberts also were credited with assists on the afternoon.
- Lipkens posted three saves, none more impressive than her highlight reel stop in the dying minutes, to secure her fourth shutout.
Up Next
Loyola returns to Rogers Park next week, hosting Davidson (Sept. 29) and Dayton (Oct. 2) as part of a two-game homestand at Loyola Soccer Park.
