LEADING OFF 
Under the leadership of first-year head coach Angela Staveskie, the Ramblers aim to make waves in their third season as an Atlantic 10 team. Loyola Chicago opens its season at home against Eastern Illinois University at 7 p.m.  

QUICK KICKS  

• Loyola Chicago clocked in at No. 8 in the A-10 Preseason Poll after finishing last season in ninth.
• Sophomore forward Zoe Hevey was named to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team.
• Angela Staveskie is in her first season as interim head coach, sitting at 0-0-0. She served as an assistant for three seasons before taking over the program this July.
• Staveskie is joined by three assistant coaches: Alexsandar Saric, Jim Schneiderhahn and Gabby Whittinghill. Saric served as the Ramblers men's soccer goalkeepers coach last season while Schneiderhahn joins Loyola after nine years as an assistant coach for Purdue women's soccer. Whittinghill is also the head coach of the girls varsity soccer team at Township High in Elk Grove, Ill. and a Chicago City SC alum.  
• Freshman defender Roos van Roekel, hailing from Barrington, Ill., was named the 2023-24 Gatorade Illinois Girls Soccer Player of the Year. As a center back, van Roekel led her high school team in scoring. She netted 18 goals and passed for five assists in her senior season, spearheading a defensive unit that recorded 16 shut outs. Her accoloades continue as she was also named the Illinois High School Coaches Association's Player of the Year and a 2024 United Soccer Coaches All-American selection. 

SCOUTING EIU 
Last season EIU finished 4-9-4 overall and advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament first round. Two Panthers collected All-OVC honors in 2023. Sophomore forward Alex Tetteh was second team All-OVC as well as All-OVC Newcomer team and senior Elisa Solis was also an All-OVC Newcomer selection. 

PANTHERS TO WATCH  

• Tetteh was tied for the team lead in goals scored (3) and added one assist. She played in all 17 matches and made nine starts during her debut campaign. The 5-11 forward led EIU in conference play points with five. 
• Senior middie Avery Richardson played in all 17 of the Panthers' matches last season, starting every game except for one. She led the team in minutes played with 1,383 and her shots on goal percentage was the team's third highest (0.750).
• Sophomore forward Abby Reinl was a standout in her first collegiate campaign, leading the team in points (9) and in assists (3). She netted EIU's first goal of the 2023 season against Valaraiso and played in all 17 matches.

SERIES HISTORY 
This is the 15th overall meeting between the two programs and the first in over a decade, with EIU leading the series 6-7-1. In their last meeting on Sept. 15, 2013, the Ramblers caged the Panthers 3-0.