Oct. 12, 2013
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CHICAGO - The Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team held leads at two different points in tonight's game but could not make either stand, falling to Evansville, 5-2, in Rogers Park. Sophomores Ryan Howe and Dane Bergstrom each scored their first goals of the season for the Ramblers.
"We got taught a lesson tonight against a very good Evansville team," said Loyola head men's soccer coach Neil Jones. "I thought they had a lot of energy off the bench. They obviously have a lot of quality players and they scored some great goals. We also didn't do enough defensively. Two goals at home should be enough to get a result but when you give up a lot of goals, it's difficult to win."
Junior Andrew Raymonds tallied Loyola's first shot when his header went wide of the Purple Aces goal. Following the ensuing goal kick, Bergstrom fed a ball to Howe, who dribbled to the top of the 18-yard box and unleashed a screamer that Evansville keeper Eric Teppen tipped but could not keep out of the back of the net. Howe's second minute goal was Loyola's first since Sept. 28. The goal sent the largest home crowd of the season, which included a sizeable alumni turnout, into a spirited frenzy. The support was not ignored by the Rambler head coach or his team.
"The crowd was fantastic tonight," continued Jones. "We had a lot of alums here, great student support and a lot of AYSO kids along with community members. We really appreciate the support and look forward to even more of it in the future."
The Loyola goal looked to wake up a dormant Evansville attack. Nate Opperman ripped a shot towards the Loyola net in the 12th minute that junior Brian Lunar valiantly blocked to preserve the Rambler lead. Shortly after, Mark Gonzalez immerged with the ball on a counter attack and put the ball by sophomore goalkeeper Tim Dobrowolski but watched his shot roll inches wide of the far post.
Gonzalez's near miss was only a temporary reprieve for the home side. Landon Souder put home his second goal of the season at the near post following a pass from Faik Hajderovic. Kevin Schaefer came tantalizingly close to scoring Evansville's second goal in the closing minutes of the half but saw his header go wide of the far post. The game headed to the halftime break knotted at 1-1.
The Ramblers wasted little time in regaining their advantage after coming out of the locker room. Senior Enrique Garcia sent a ball into the box that Bergstrom corralled as he shielded his defender and quickly snapped off a shot the curled inside the far post, giving Loyola a 2-1 advantage in the 47th minute.
Loyola's lead would be short-lived. Just under three minutes later, Felipe Cortez slammed a shot by Dobrowolski at the far post to level the game at 2-2. The Aces would then add three more goals over an eight-minute span. Nick Schroeder netted what would be the game-winning goal in the 58th minute before Dylan Terry and Mark Gonzalez scored under a minute apart to give the visitors a 5-2 lead that held until the referee's final whistle.
Loyola will look to bounce back from tonight's defeat when they step outside of Missouri Valley Conference play and head west for a meeting with the Denver Pioneers. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m., Central Time, from Denver, Colo. on Wednesday evening.
