CHICAGO - Atlantic 10 action kicks off this week between Loyola Chicago and No. 24 Saint Louis. The Ramblers finished the non-conference schedule with a win at DePaul to post a 4-4 record over the eight-match stretch. The Billikens upset nationally ranked Nebraska to cap non-conference play and enter the week at 5-2-1 overall. Kickoff between the Ramblers and Billikens is set for 7 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park.

QUICK KICKS
• Non-conference action wrapped up last week with a Red Line Rivalry 1-0 win at DePaul. Taylor Harrison scored her second game-winner of the season in the 82nd minute helping the Ramblers to their second shutout of 2023.  Zoe Hevey assisted on the goal for her third of the year. Harrison now leads the Ramblers with eight points, while Hevey adds seven.
• The win at DePaul marked the program's 250th win all-time. It is also the second shutout for the Ramblers this season, with the other coming against Western Illinois.
• Last week, the Ramblers also played Big Ten foe Wisconsin on their home turf. The Badgers stole a 3-2 win. Amanda Cassidy scored for the second time this season in the 43rd minute to knot the game 1-1. In the second half, Madeleine Barone took a penalty kick for the Ramblers after a handball in the box. It marks her first goal of the year.
• Before hosting the Badgers, the Ramblers won back-to-back matches vs. Western Illinois and Ball State. Hevey scored the game-winning goal vs. the Leathernecks after firing off a season-high seven shots. Olivia Rhodes and Harrison registered goals vs. the Cardinals with helpers from Hevey on both goals. Hevey earned A10 Rookie of the Week for her four-point outing that week.
• Loyola has 11 goals scored this year after netting one at DePaul. The team's 11 goals this season sits fourth in the Atlantic 10 and 127th in the NCAA.
• The Ramblers have outshot their opponents three times, including two matches with 20+ shots. Against Western Illinois, Loyola held the Leathernecks without an attempt and tallied a season-high 25 shots. Last weekend at DePaul, the Ramblers outshot the Blue Demons, 24-4. Loyola also held a 15-6 edge at Toledo in its first win of the year.
• On the Atlantic 10 leaderboards, Harrison finds herself among the best scorers so far this season. Her four goals is second in the league, which ranks 81st in the country. She has two game-winners to leads the conference and ranks 29th in the NCAA.
• Barry Bimbi enters his 13th season as head coach of the Ramblers. Bimbi notched his 100th career win last year and sits at 110-94-29 overall ahead of the 2023 season.

SCOUTING SAINT LOUIS
The Billikens enter conference play looking to defend their 2022 title. Saint Louis is ranked nationally in all three polls this week. The Billikens come in at No. 24 by United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News, and rank No. 18 by TopDrawer Soccer. In non-conference action, Saint Louis posted a 5-2-1 overall record, closing with a 3-2 win over No. 24 Nebraska. The Billikens also tied Brown, 1-1, who was receiving votes in College Soccer News and ranked No. 23 by TopDrawer Soccer. Saint Louis leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring offense, total goals, total assists, and total points. The Billikens are in the nation's top-25 in all four of those categories.

BILLIKENS TO WATCH
• Caroline Kelly leads SLU in goals (5) and points (11). She ranks 44th in the NCAA with a league-best five goals. Kelly scored a season-high two goals against Kansas City in an 8-0 win over the Roos.
• Hannah Larson has seven points this season, on one goal and five assists for the Billikens. Larson ranks 13th in the nation and is the A10 leader in assists. She tallied a pair of helpers in back-to-back games vs. Utah State and Chicago State.
• Emily Puricelli was just named the A10 Defensive Player of the Week following her performance in goal against Brown and Nebraska. Puricelli made nine stops against the Huskers in a 3-2 win. She made a season-high 11 saves vs. BYU in the season opener.

SERIES HISTORY
SLU leads the all-time series 4-0-0. In the last meeting, Loyola Chicago fell 3-0 in the A10 tournament.