Sept. 1, 2006
Box Score
Omaha, Neb. - Freshman Cynthia Morote-Ariza pulled Loyola even late in the second half and then silenced the crowd of 1,120 at Morrison Stadium with the match-winner in the second overtime as the Ramblers rallied past Missouri Valley preseason-favorite Creighton, 2-1, this evening in Omaha, Neb. Loyola stays perfect at 3-0 with the win while Creighton falls to 2-2 with the loss.
"I am so proud of my group that they were able to keep fighting and battling," said head coach Frank Mateus. "They showed a tremendous amount of mental toughness to be able to come in here and find a way to win. The fans saw two very good teams out there tonight. Once again, I think our depth and our quality throughout the roster was a big key for us. Everytime we substituted we got better on the field and there are not a lot of teams out there that can say that."
After a scoreless first half, Creighton drew first blood just after the hour, when Marcy Gans hit the upper-right corner from the top of the box in the 61st minute. It appeared as if the goal may hold up, but Ariza-Morote took a feed from freshman Casey Berrier and found the back of the net in the 86th minute to tie the match and send it to overtime. The first 10-minute period failed to produce a winner but Morote-Ariza rose to the challenge in the second frame. Having been re-inserted into the lineup just two minutes earlier, Morote-Ariza latched on to a beautiful through-ball from freshman Sarah McPartlan and lofted a classy chip into the net in the 105th minute to clinch the victory.
For the match, Creighton enjoyed a 19-14 advantage in shots but senior keeper Emily Peick was forced into only five saves, the result of another solid team defensive effort. Loyola was also dangerous in attack and held an 8-5 edge in corners.
Off to a 3-0 start for the third time in the last four seasons, Loyola will look to make it four consecutive wins for the first time in school history when it takes on Eastern Illinois on Sunday afternoon in Charleston, Ill. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
