Sept. 15, 2010
Final Stats
CHICAGO- Senior Andy Weis' diving header evened up the score at 1-1 early in the first half, but DePaul's Alex Mangan netted two goals of his own in the opening frame, as the Blue Demons held on to beat the Ramblers 2-1 at Wish Field in Chicago, Illinois.
With the loss, Loyola falls to 0-4-1 this season. DePaul improves to 2-2-1 with the win.
Within the game's opening minute, it was clear to the 494 in attendance that this contest would be hard-fought and physical. The game also produced early offense from both squads, starting with the home team.
In the 11th minute, Mangan scored his first goal on the afternoon after finding the ball 10 yards away from the Loyola net, and fired a shot to the near post past Rambler goalkeeper Peter McKeown. The Blue Demons had the momentum and a 1-0 advantage.
Fortunately for the Ramblers, the DePaul lead would not last for long.
Down 1-0, the Loyola offense hurried the ball down into DePaul territory, setting up the game's tying goal a minute later.
Will Martin drove the right side of the field, then swung a crisp pass to James Howe, who made a cross pass to the middle of the field, finding Weis guarded in the Blue Demon box. The senior made a diving move at the ball and put it into the back of the net from six yards out.
The goal, Loyola's second this season, tied up the game at 1-1.
Three minutes later, Mangan found the scoreboard again, this time receiving a pass off a corner kick, then heading the ball into the Loyola goal. DePaul took a one goal lead once again, holding the margin into halftime.
The second half featured a different DePaul squad from the first frame. The home team sat of their heels and played solid defense, rather than pushing the ball aggressively downfield.
Loyola tried to take advantage, managing three shots and earning eight corner kicks in the final period. Erik Warren nearly tied up the game, when he headed the ball into the DePaul net at the 80th minute mark, but the goal was waved off due to an offside call in the box.
The Ramblers didn't recover, and with one last clear of the ball by DePaul in the final moments, the scoreboard sounded for the end of the game, with DePaul winning the contest 2-1.
Despite its best offensive effort of the season, Loyola managed seven shots, four on goal. Eric Nock led the team with two shots. Weis picked up the goal on his only attempt of the afternoon.
The Ramblers will regroup and prepare for its second match this week, when they face Drake on September 18 in Des Moines, Iowa. Match time is set for 7:00 p.m. CST.
