Aug. 29, 2005

FT. WAYNE, IND. - The Loyola men's soccer team rallied late but could not find an equalizer in a 2-1 setback to Michigan State in the exhibition finale for both teams in Ft. Wayne, Ind. The Ramblers closed out its preseason with a 1-1 mark in its two matches.

Loyola started the match strong, keeping Michigan State on its heels throughout the first 20 minutes, however, LU was unable to dent the scoreboard. After the initial burst, it was the Spartans that opened the scoring in the 27th minute, when Doug DeMartin finished John Kaczmarek's cross for a 1-0 lead. Kaczmarek also setup Michigan State's second goal 10 minutes after intermission, with Ryan McMahen latching onto a cross and neatly finishing to give the Spartans a 2-0 advantage.

Senior Dino Melitas pulled one back for the Ramblers in the 78th minute. Junior Jon Zabikow got on the end of a Keum Sung Kim corner kick but saw his shot cleared off the line by the Spartan defense. However, the ball came right to Melitas, who made no mistake from close range to score his third goal in two preseason matches.

Kim was an influential player all day for the Ramblers, who also received a big lift from Zabikow off the bench in the second half.

Loyola opens up its 2005 season on Friday (Sept. 2) when it takes on Gonzaga in the opening match of the Fr. Leo Sweeney Jesuit Cup.