Sept. 28, 2008

Final Stats

CHICAGO - Loyola scored two goals in the opening 11 minutes and a solid defensive effort made them stand up in a 2-1 win over Wright State this afternoon in the Ramblers' Horizon League opener at Loyola Soccer Park. Loyola, which put together consecutive wins for the first time this season, moves to 5-7 (1-0 Horizon) while the Raiders slump to 5-6-1 (0-1-1) with the loss.

The Ramblers nearly opened the scoring in the opening seconds, as Laura Trevillian forced Raider keeper Meghan Hackerson into a nice save after just 13 seconds. It proved to be a warning shot as Loyola got on the board minutes later, through Trevillian again. Morote-Ariza broke free behind the defense on the right side and Trevillian was there to knock in her cross for her fifth goal of the season and third this week in the 7th minute. Morote-Ariza doubled the advantage less than four minutes later, taking a nice thru-ball from Maggie Doe to sprint past the Wright State backline where she made no mistake, beating Hackerson for her fifth goal of the year and 31st of her illustrious career.

Loyola was full of life and Morote-Ariza almost added a spectacular third inside of 13 minutes but her volley was pushed onto, and over, the crossbar by Hackerson. Wright State finally was able to find its feet and the Raiders were handed an opportunity before halftime when Jess Rooma was fouled just inside the box. Rooma buried the resulting penalty to make cut the deficit in half at intermission.

Wright State poured forward in the second half, pushing for an equalizer, but Loyola's backline held strong. A neat flick from Morote-Ariza played in Trevillian as the Ramblers had a chance on the counter but Morote-Ariza was unable to hit the net on the return pass. However, despite more pressure in the final 15 minutes, Loyola held firm to gain the win.

Loyola caps off a three-match homestand next Friday night (Oct. 3) with a 7 p.m. battle with Milwaukee at Loyola Soccer Park.