CHICAGO – Loyola Chicago women's soccer battled No. 24 Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10 opener Thursday night. The Billikens found an opening in the 85
th minute to down the Ramblers, 1-0.
With the loss, Loyola falls to 4-5 overall and 0-1 in league play.
"Overall, I am really proud of the effort the girls gave," said head coach
Barry Bimbi. "We created enough chances in and around the box to get a result. No game is too big for us. We expect them to compete and play hard. I thought for 85 minutes we were great. At the end of the day, they scored off a corner kick and go home with the three points."
How It Happened
The Ramblers were ready to face their toughest opponent yet Thursday night displaying some of their best defense of the year.
Madeleine Barone recorded the first shot of the night at the 10:36 mark forcing an early save by Emily Puricelli in goal.
Naya Lipkens then went to work for the Ramblers with back to back saves inside the 12-minute mark. Hannah Larson placed a high shot on goal off a free kick, which Lipkens was able to punch away leading to a corner for the Billikens. Abbie Miller got her head on the ball, but Lipkens made another high stop for Loyola.
Lipkens made three more saves before the first half ended, including two in the final five minutes. The match was knotted 0-0 at the break.
Zoe Hevey opened the second with Loyola's second attempt on target in the 50
th minute. It was the first of four shots on goal of the half for the Ramblers. Their next closest attempt came in the 79
th minute with a wide-open look from
Ella Skelton that didn't quite make it to the net.
Saint Louis finally connected in the 85
th minute off a corner kick. Larson fired into the box to Lyndsey Heckel who headed it above Lipkens for the game winner. Hevey would have one final look in the 89
th, but SLU held on for the win.
Inside the Box Score
- Despite the goal, Lipkens had her best performance between the posts today for the Ramblers. She made a season-high seven saves.
- SLU outshot Loyola, 20-10 and 8-5 on goal.
- Leading Loyola was Hevey with three attempts. She had two on goal.
- SLU was the first ranked opponent the Ramblers saw this season.
Up Next
The Ramblers hit the road for Sunday's match. Loyola and Duquesne kickoff in Pittsburgh at 12 p.m. CT.