EAST LANSING, Mich. – Loyola Chicago deadlocked No. 5 Michigan State for 84 minutes in a gritty fashion before falling, 1-0, to the Big Ten team.
"We battled hard for 90 minutes, stuck to the game plan and trusted the process. Unfortunately we came up short. Our back line was tough and resilient. As a team, our effort, our toughness and our togetherness was on full display today. We celebrate the good moments from today and continue to grow stronger as a team," said head coach
Angela Staveskie.
The Ramblers are now 4-2-1 and have wrapped up all Big Ten regular season matchups.
How It Happened
Loyola created a defensive lockdown, keeping one of the best offenses in the country at bay for over 90 percent of the match.
It was a scoreless first half that saw eight shots from the Spartans and four from the Ramblers with redshirt freshman goalkeeper
Allison Deardorff making five saves in the first 45 minutes.
Sophomore forward
Zoe Hevey had two shot attempts in the first half, one on goal, while defender
Alaina Abel also had a shot on goal.
Taylor Harrison and
Jocelyn Leigh each had a shot off frame.
At the 83rd minute, Spartan veteran Justina Gaynor and the 2023 Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, hit a long strike beyond the 18-yard line that found the top right corner of the net, just inches from Deardorff's grasp.
Inside the Box Score
- Deardorff recorded a season and career high of six saves and another full-90 on the pitch.
- Six more Ramblers played the full-90: Abel, Jaimee Cibulka, Olivia Rhodes, Hevey, Ava Metaj and Emily Roberts.
- The physical game saw 19 fouls, eight for Loyola and 11 for Michigan State, and one yellow card on Hevey.
Up Next
The Ramblers are back at home next week for a two-game homestead against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 15 and Dayton on Sept. 19 to open Atlantic 10 play.
