CHICAGO (September 2, 2023) - Loyola Chicago continues a three-match home stand Sunday with Ball State. The Ramblers and Cardinals kickoff at 1 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park. Loyola is coming off its first shutout of the season against Western Illinois, while Ball State dropped a road match at Texas Tech. Sunday is Loyola's Alopecia Awareness match. The team will be selling shirts for $20 each and donating the proceeds to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.
QUICK KICKS
• The Ramblers tallied their second win and first shutout of the season Thursday against Western Illinois. Loyola dominated offensively, outshooting the Leathernecks, 25-0.
Zoe Hevey finally broke through the defense in the 82nd minute to net the game winner, helping Loyola to a 1-0 win. She took a team and career-high seven shots in the match.
• Loyola's first win of 2023 came against Toledo last week on the road. The Ramblers jumped to a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute with
Taylor Harrison's second goal of the year. The Rockets tied it just out of the halftime break before
Ansley Cryan netted the game winner in the 74th minute.
• For her efforts, Cryan was award the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors. It marked her first career goal and game winner in the Maroon & Gold. Cryan's award is the first for the Ramblers this season.
• Harrison and Hevey lead Loyola in scoring this season. They have two goals and four points each. The pair of them are tied seventh in the Atlantic 10 in total goals scored. Hevey also ranks fifth in the league in shots per game (3.2).
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Naya Lipkens has started all five matches in goal for the Ramblers. The shutout against Western Illinois marked the 11th of her collegiate career and her 10th win between the posts in the maroon & gold.
• Loyola Chicago was selected fifth in this year's Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll earlier this week. The Ramblers earned 158 votes in the poll and sit behind Massachusetts in fourth. UMass earned one first-place vote, while Saint Louis was crowned the preseason favorite with the remaining 14 votes.
• The Ramblers posted an 8-8-3 overall record and a 4-5-1 finish in A10 play last season. They earned the No. 8 seed in the A10 Tournament for their first ever berth as part of the conference. The 2022 season came to an end in the first round to the eventual champs, Saint Louis.
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Barry Bimbi enters his 13th season as head coach of the Ramblers. Bimbi notched his 100th career win last year and sits at 108-93-29 overall ahead of the 2023 season. The women's soccer program is closing in on its 250th win since its inception in 1992 with an overall record of 248-317-45.
SCOUTING BALL STATE
Entering Sunday's match, Ball State is 1-2 overall. The Cardinals tallied their only win of the year against DII opponent Mercyhurst. Ball State then dropped two straight at No. 3 Notre Dame and Texas Tech. Ahead of 2023 action kicking off, the Cardinals were tabbed third in the MAC Preseason Poll after reaching the championship match last year.
CARDINALS TO WATCH
• Avery Fenchel leads Ball State with three goals this season after recording a hat trick in the season opener vs. Mercyhurst. She is sixth in the program's history books with 16 career goals and counting.
• Delaney Caldwell scored Ball State's lone effort at Texas Tech last week. she netted seven goals last season in her freshman campaign.
• Bethan Moser leads the Cardinals in minutes played between the posts with 240:44. She made all three starts this year and has given up seven goals. Moser has 15 saves for a 68.2 save percentage.
SERIES HISTORY
The Ramblers trail in the all-time series, 3-0. The teams last met in 2019 when Ball State took a 2-1 win.
