LEADING OFF 
This week Loyola Chicago (2-1) hosts a pair of Big Ten schools in its last homestand before a three-match road trip. The Ramblers welcome the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes (2-1) on Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. and the Purdue Boilermakers (2-1-1) on Sunday, Aug. 31 for the annual Pack the Park match.  

QUICK KICKS 

• Loyola is coming off a 2-0 shutout win on the road against DePaul (Aug. 24) in the Red Line Rivalry match. The victory marks two consecutive road wins for the Ramblers and the fifth straight win in the all-time series with the Blue Demons.  
• Junior midfielder Maggie Schmidt netted the game-winner in the 54th minute, drilling a right-footed strike into the top left corner from right outside the box. It was Schmidt's second career goal and game-winner.  
• The Ramblers forced six of its seven corner kicks against the Blue Demons in the second half and junior forward Zoe Hevey led Loyola with five shots, three on target.  
• Earlier this fall, Loyola opened its season against Northwestern (Aug. 14); the last time the Ramblers faced three Power Four teams in the regular season was in 2019 when they faced Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin.  
• Loyola was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll.    
• The Ramblers welcomed 10 newcomers to their 2025 roster, including five true freshmen and five transfers while 18 Ramblers returned.      
• At the helm of the program is head coach Jon Sandoval in his first season at Loyola. 

SCOUTING REPORT 
The Hawkeyes earned their second win of the season in a 2-0 shutout against Western Michigan (Aug. 24) after facing their first loss, 3-2, to a Top 10 TCU team (Aug. 21). Iowa is 1-0 on the road with a 3-2 victory at then-No. 6 Arkansas to open the season. Six different Hawkeyes account for team's seven goals with forward Olivia Lebdaoui leading the charge (2).  

Purdue kicked off the 2025 season with two consecutive victories before taking its first loss, 2-0, to DePaul (Aug. 21) at home. Most recently, the Boilermakers forced a 1-1 draw against Butler (Aug. 24) ahead of their second road match vs. Evansville on Thursday, Aug. 28. Purdue has 10 goals on the season already, thanks to six players – four of whom have two goals apiece.  

Iowa was picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll and midfielder Sofia Bush, defender Millie Greer, and forward/midfielder Liana Tarasco were named Big Ten Players to Watch. Meanwhile, Purdue was predicted to place 11th in the 18-team preseason poll and had three players on the watch list: midfielder Megan Santa Cruz, defender Zoe Cuneio and goalkeeper Emily Edwards.  

SERIES HISTORY 
Iowa holds the all-time series advantage, 3-2-1, against Loyola; the last meeting occurred in 2017 when the Ramblers shut out the Hawkeyes, 3-0, in Iowa City. Against Purdue, Loyola has yet to secure a win in the series, with the Boilermakers leading, 3-0-1. Last season, the Ramblers recorded their first-ever draw with the Boilermakers, finishing, 1-1, at Loyola Soccer Park.  

FOLLOW THE ACTION 
Stream both matches on ESPN+ and be sure to follow the Ramblers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Find more content on our YouTube channel.