Oct. 5, 2008

Box Score

CHICAGO - The Loyola (7-2-1, 3-1-0 HL) men's soccer team picked up its third straight Horizon League victory Sunday evening, shutting out Valparaiso (4-6-2, 0-3-1 HL), 2-0 at Loyola Soccer Park.

The match remained scoreless through the first 45 minutes of play, though the Ramblers maintained possession for much of the half, outshooting the Crusaders, 9-3 at the break. Just over 10 minutes into the second half, junior Alex Jones executed on a perfectly placed pass from senior Keum Sung Kim to put Loyola ahead, 1-0. Kim recorded his team-leading fourth assist, while the goal was Jones' third of the year.

The Ramblers struck again in the 73rd minute, when sophomore Josh Westberg found junior Eric Gehrig, who notched his team-best fourth goal of the season from 10 yards out past Valpo goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck. The assist was Westberg's second on the season.

Though the match became increasingly physical as time progressed, with a total of 39 fouls and eight cards being issued, Loyola head coach Brendan Eitz was pleased to see his time fight through and prevail. "We're proud of the way our guys kept their composure in a physical game," said Eitz. "They kept playing through it and held possession for much of the match."

Kim and Gehrig led the Ramblers with four shots each, while sophomore Willie Koss added three shots of his own, including one on goal. Senior goalkeeper Brian Byrne played all 90 minutes, recording two saves in his fifth shutout of the year.

Loyola is back in action Saturday, Oct. 11, when it hosts Bradley in a non-conference match beginning at 7 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park.