Nov. 3, 2006

Box Score

CHICAGO - Conversions by Matt Marek and Markian Zyga gave the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team its first-ever appearance in the Horizon League championship match after a 2-1 victory in penalty kicks against 16th-ranked top seed Illinois-Chicago before 1,212 fans on Friday night at Flames Field. After tying UIC for the second time this season, fourth-seeded Loyola is 10-7-2 heading into Sunday's championship match against second-seeded UW-Green Bay while UIC now stands 12-2-5.

After playing to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 20, LU and UIC were tied at 0-0 after 110 minutes before penalty kicks would decide which team advanced to the championship round. Loyola was awarded the first kick in the best-of-five scenario as the first three shots hit the post. Reed Cataldo and Javier Lopez were both close to go-ahead conversions but could not give the Ramblers the early advantage.

The Flames struck first in the penalty-kick session when Cesar Zambrano hit his second-round shot but their momentum was quickly taken back by the Ramblers when Marek responded promptly with a score in the third round to tie the teams once again, 1-1.

Loyola goalkeeper Sean Bond saved UIC's last four attempts. Bond stuffed the Horizon League's 2006 Player of the Year, UIC's Tonci Skroce, in the third round then made two more diving attempts for saves in the fourth and fifth rounds to keep the score 1-1 after the best-of-five penalty kick rounds.

The Ramblers needed only one extra penalty kick session as Zyga made his first appearance of the match and caught UIC's goalkeeper guessing and converted his attempt for the 2-1 advantage in the first round of sudden-death penalty kicks.

"I wasn't really that nervous," Zyga said. "I had been on the bench for most of the game so I was surprised I hit my shot as well as I did but I knew if I made decent contact I could give us the lead." Bond earned his eighth shutout of the season and capped a six-save performance in the match with what may arguably be the biggest save of his career in the sixth penalty kick round. The Dallas, Texas native dove to his left to punch out Derek Kosek's attempt and send Loyola to the Horizon League championship match.

"We got put in a bad situation by not being able to get things done in regulation," said Bond. " But I'm really proud of the way we responded and persevered in the pressure. We worked hard all season so we deserve this."

Loyola's first-ever Horizon League Championship match against second-seeded UW-Green Bay kicks off at 1 p.m. on Sunday at UIC's Flames Field. The Phoenix enter the match 14-5-0 after a 2-1 victory over Butler in the other Horizon League semifinal-round match.