Oct. 15, 2008

Box Score

CHICAGO - DePaul (6-4-3) scored in the opening period and never looked back, defeating Loyola, 2-0 Wednesday afternoon at Wish Field. The loss snaps the Ramblers' four-game winning streak, during which they had outscored opponents 11-0. It also marks the first time Loyola (8-3-1) has been held scoreless since a 2-0 loss to Drake on Sept. 12.

Playing in a cool, light rain, the Loyola offense struggled early on, producing just two shots in the first half from junior Eric Gehrig and freshman Erik Warren, neither of which was on goal. DePaul capitalized on a penalty kick in the 41st minute, as Patrick Hopkins scored his first goal of the season to give the Blue Demons the 1-0 advantage heading into the break.

The Ramblers fought hard to bounce back, outshooting DePaul 6-5 in the second half, with all six shots coming on goal. Senior Keum Sung Kim led the way with three of his own and three other Ramblers contributed shots, but none were able to find the back of the net. DePaul added some insurance later in the period, as Mark Plotkin notched an unassisted goal in the 58th minute to put the Blue Demons up 2-0. Senior goalkeeper Brian Byrne collected four saves in 90 minutes of play for Loyola.

The Ramblers return home this Saturday to host Horizon League opponent Milwaukee. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m., following a brief pregame ceremony honoring this year's senior class.