Sept. 21, 2008

Box Score

CHICAGO - Loyola's offense finally broke through with 43 seconds left in the match, as sophomore Will Martin found senior Keum Sung Kim to give the Ramblers the 1-0 win over SIU-Edwardsville at Loyola Soccer Park this afternoon. Loyola, which is ranked No. 30 in the College Soccer News Top 30 national poll, improves to 4-1-1 on the year, while Southern Illinois-Edwardsville falls to 3-4-0.

Although the goal didn't come until the 89th minute, there were ample opportunities on both ends to score early on, as Loyola outshot the Cougars 10-4 in the first half and 17-11 for the match. "We didn't finish many opportunities, but we still found a way to win, which is a good sign," said Loyola head coach Brendan Eitz. "They were a well-organized, well-coached team. It was a good game of soccer."

Senior goalkeeper Brian Byrne recorded a season-high five saves on the day, including three in the second half. Kim led the offensive effort with seven shots, three coming on goal, while juniors Eric Gehrig and Alex Jones and sophomore Willie Koss each posted three shots.

The Ramblers return to action on Sept. 26, when they begin the conference portion of their schedule at Loyola Soccer Park against Detroit and then take on Cleveland State on Sept. 28. The match against Detroit is slated for 8 p.m., following the women's game at 6 p.m.

"With the competitive phase of schedule complete, we're going to shift our energy into focusing on doing well in conference," said Eitz, "beginning with Detroit on Friday."