LEADING OFF
Loyola Chicago opens Atlantic 10 play against Dayton on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. on Hoyne Field.
QUICK KICKS
- Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Allison Deardorff earned A-10 Rookie of the Week on Monday, Sept. 16, her second weekly league honor this season and of her career. Against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 15, she recorded seven saves and her fourth shutout, both season and career highs.
- Senior middie Taylor Harrison marked a season high four shots against Eastern Michigan and scored the game-winner in Loyola's last three home matches (vs. Eastern Michigan 9/15, Toledo 9/5 and Bowling Green 9/1).
- The Ramblers are 5-0 at home so far this season, their best home record since 2021 when the team went 6-0 at Loyola Soccer Park.
- Defender Alaina Abel is on an active 2,250 minute streak playing the full 90 in the last 25 consecutive matches, dating back to the Kansas match on Aug. 20, 2023.
SCOUTING DAYTON
Dayton is 6-2 so far this season, with its two losses coming from then-No. 19 Xaiver, 3-0, and a 6-1 loss at Purdue. Four of their six wins were shutouts, including a 1-0 road win over Louisville. Last season, the Flyers went 13-2-5 overall and 8-1-2 in A-10 play. They fell, 1-0 in overtime, to La Salle in the 2023 conference tournament semifinals - Dayton's only A-10 loss that season.
FLYERS TO WATCH
- Senior forward Noel Blain leads the Flyers in points (13) and tied for first in goals (5). She scored a hat-trick in Dayton's 9-0 shutout against Mercyhurst on Aug. 29, was the lone goal vs. Purdue on Sept. 1 and snagged the second point against Western Kentucky on Sept. 5. Her last two scores were assisted by junior middie Jenna Hallbeck. Blain is one of eight Flyers who have started and played in every match this season.
- Junior goalkeeper Batoul Reda has recorded 20 saves through eight games and has a Goals Against Average of 1.38, compared to Loyola's Allison Deardorff's 31 saves and 0.75 GAA. Last season, Reda earned All-A-10 Second Team goalkeeper honors and turned in the second-best GAA in a single season in Flyers' history with a 0.52 mark.
- Freshman flyer Liv Grenda is already making a name for herself. She's tied with Blain in goals (5), has made seven starts across eight games and is the team leader in shots with 18, eight of which were on frame. Grenda scored her first career goal in her collegiate debut on Aug. 15 and had a brace in the very next game. She secured the game-winner over Western Kentucky and has taken at least one shot in every single match this season.
SERIES HISTORY
The Flyers own the series advantage, 8-0. Last season, Loyola fell 2-0 at Dayton, and in 2022, the Ramblers' A-10 debut season, Loyola lost 1-0 at Hoyne Field. The Ramblers will look for their first ever victory over the Flyers on Thursday night.
