Sept. 11, 2009
Loyola Men's Soccer Weekly Notes
CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team takes on Saint Louis this Saturday (Sept. 12) at 7 p.m. at Toyota Park. Located in Bridgeview, Ill., Toyota Park is currently the home of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire.
Tickets are $10 apiece and are available at the Rambler ticket office until 5 p.m. today (Sept. 11). The ticket office can be reached at (773)508-WOLF. Tickets can be purchased on game day at the Toyota Park box office or through Ticketmaster.
LAST TIME OUT: Loyola put together a successful opening week of the season, tying No. 6 Creighton, 0-0, and defeating Canisius, 4-0. Michael Ferguson, Mark Halma, Eric Nock and Jordan Lewis scored goals for the Ramblers, with Ferguson and Halma adding assists in the win over Canisius.
LOYOLA SCOUTING REPORT: The Ramblers enter Saturday's contest with a 1-0-1 record. Despite being held scoreless in the season opener by Creighton, the Ramblers scored four times against Canisius, with four different players recording a goal. Michael Ferguson and Mark Halma lead the Ramblers in scoring with three points (1 G, 1 A) apiece.
SAINT LOUIS SCOUTING REPORT: Saint Louis currently holds a 1-2-0 record on the season after falling to New Mexico, 3-0, and splitting a pair of matches at the Nike Portland Invitational. The Billikens defeated Washington, 2-1, and lost to Portland, 3-1, last weekend in Portland. SLU opened the season ranked 21st in the NSCAA/adidas National Rankings and is receiving votes in this week's poll. The Billikens are led in scoring by Mike Roach, who has two goals through the first three matches.
RAMBLER WATCH: Sophomore goalkeeper Peter McKeown has kept Loyola's opponents out of the scoring column through the first two matches, recording 200 scoreless minutes to open the season. McKeown made eight combined saves in the two contests, including five against Creighton to help secure the double-overtime draw.
HE'S GOT CLASS: Senior defender Malcolm DeBaun was named a candidate for the 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award on Aug. 26. The award is given to the student-athlete who best displays excellence in four different areas - classroom, character, community and competition. DeBaun is one of 30 candidates in the men's soccer division.
CRYSTAL BALL GAZING: Loyola has been selected second in the Horizon League preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. The Ramblers received two first-place votes after winning the league tournament title in 2008. LU sits behind UIC, which received six first-place votes.
LOYOLA SEASON PREVIEW: The Ramblers entered 2009 on the heels of a Horizon League Tournament title, a NCAA tournament berth and 12-6-4 final record. LU returns seven of its 11 starters, including top scorers Mark Halma and Eric Gehrig. Eight of the Ramblers' top nine scorers return for the 2009 season. Loyola's 2009 slate includes five teams ranked in the preseason top 25, including defending national champion Maryland (No. 1), Creighton (No. 6), Northwestern (No. 9), Horizon League rival UIC (No. 10) and Saint Louis (No. 21).
UP NEXT: Loyola will travel to Kansas City, Mo., to compete in the UMKC Invitational next weekend. The Ramblers will play against UMKC on Friday (Sept. 18) at 7:30 p.m. and Oral Roberts on Sunday (Sept. 20) at 11 a.m.
