Oct. 20, 2006
Box Score
CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team played to a 1-1 tie with 13th-ranked Illinois-Chicago on Friday night at Loyola Soccer Park. Senior forward Matt Marek tallied his fifth goal of the season at 26:54 for the equalizer to give Loyola its first tie of the season for a 9-6-1 overall mark and a 4-1-1 record in Horizon League play. Illinois-Chicago is now 11-2-3 overall and 4-1-1 against League opponents.
There were scoring chances on both ends of the field throughout the contest with both teams attempting 11 shots. Michael Ferguson and Eric Gehrig led Loyola with three shots apiece while Marek chipped in two. UIC's Pavle Dundjer attempted a game-high five shots on goal.
Little time elapsed on the clock before the scoring opportunities were taken advantage of because the Flames opened the scoring early. UIC got an offensive conversion early in the match when Tonci Skroce struck a service three yards from the goal before Dundjer made good contact on the ball and converted his fifth goal of the season. Skroce would be credited with the assist.
Loyola answered UIC's offensive pressure early in the match with pressure of its own. Keum Sung Kim dribbled down to the corner and delivered a service from 15 yards out into the left side of the box where Marek headed the ball past the UIC goalkeeper for his ninth-career goal. Kim, who entered the game tied for fourth in the Horizon League with five assists, may improve upon his League standing after dishing out his team-leading sixth helper of the season.
The Ramblers waited until the later part of regulation to forge a pair of the game's better scoring opportunities. In the 79th minute, Ferguson beat a defender for a one-on-one matchup with the UIC goalkeeper. The Overland, Kan. native fired a shot from the right side of the box past the goal keeper but it was tipped just enough that the ball deflected wide off the far post and prevent Loyola from the game-winning goal.
Matt Marek worked through a crowd in the UIC box and jumped for another header with 5:52 remaining in regulation that unfortunately went wide. Although Loyola held a 3-1 shot advantage over UIC in the pair of overtime periods, neither team was able to convert the decisive goal.
Two of the top goalkeepers in the Horizon League played to a tie with Sean Bond making six saves in 110 minutes in net to move his record to 9-4-1. UIC Jovan Bubonja made five saves to preserve the tie.
The Ramblers play their final home match of the regular season at 1 p.m. on Sunday against UW-Milwaukee. Loyola's six departing seniors will be honored in a pre-game ceremony.
