Oct. 23, 2013
Final Stats
CHICAGO - Junior Brian Bement scored a late goal to propel the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team to a hard fought 1-1 draw against Drake in double overtime this evening on a cold night at Loyola Soccer Park. The draw gives Loyola its first point in the conference standings and also its first-ever point as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
"Coming back to get a tying goal tonight showed some real resolve in our group," said Loyola head men's soccer coach Neil Jones. "I felt that on the sideline as did the bench and the rest of the staff. It wasn't a pretty goal by any stretch of the imagination but they all count and Brian (Bement) made a big play to get us back into the game."
Loyola came out as the more aggressive side in the first half, outshooting the visiting Bulldogs, 5-2, in the opening 45 minutes. The home side's only shot on goal of the first half came off of a flurry of activity in the 13th minute. Senior Reed Patterson unleashed a shot that was blocked by the Drake backline. Fellow senior Eric Nock corralled the loose ball and fed it over to an open Jake Savino at the top of the 18-yard box. Savino fired at goal but his attempt was easily turned away by Darrin MacLeod, the Drake goalkeeper.
The Rambler defense, as has been the trend in recent games, turned in another fantastic defensive performance in the first half. Drake's only scoring opportunity of the half wouldn't arrive until the 43rd minute. Jarred Arde, one of Drake's leading scorers, had his shot saved by sophomore Tim Dobrowolski as both teams headed into halftime locked in a scoreless draw.
Loyola picked up right where it left off after returning from the locker room. Junior Andrew Raymonds looked to give the home side the lead but his shot was saved by MacLeod from point-blank range in the opening minutes of the second half. The Ramblers continued to attack as sophomore Ryan Howe fired at goal from the top of the 18-yard box. His attempt was punched away by the Drake netminder and Dane Bergstrom's follow up attempt zipped past the near post.
Drake's offense seemed to awaken from its slumber as the second half carried on. Ben LeMay shot over Dobrowolski's crossbar in the 52nd minute prior to Brian Jantsch's attempt that forced the Loyola keeper to tip the ball over the bar. Nick Marshall broke the tie when he headed home an Arde corner in the 72nd minute to give the visitors from Des Moines, Iowa a 1-0 advantage. James Grunert looked to double the Drake lead shortly thereafter but was denied when his shot rung off the near post.
As the game entered the final ten minutes, Loyola continued to push for an equalizer. Howe launched a ball into the box off of a throw-in that sophomore Lee Grander played over to Nock. Nock would flick the ball over to a waiting Bement, who headed it in at the near post to level the game a 1-1 with just under five minutes to play. Tonight's goal is the fifth of the season for the Waterloo, Ill. native, which gives him sole possession of the team lead in that category. Nock went on to unleash a pair of thunderous shots at goal of set pieces in the closing minutes of play but MacLeod was up to the challenge as the game headed to overtime.
The most dangerous opportunity of either overtime for the Maroon & Gold came just past the halfway point of the opening session. Nock played a ball over to a streaking Raymonds, who shielded his defender as he went one-on-one with the goalkeeper. MacLeod came up with his best save of the night to send the game into a second overtime. Dobrowolski, refusing to be upstaged by his counterpart, made a fine save on Nick Marshall's headed attempt in the second stanza. The Rockford, Ill. product's presence was also felt in the final fifteen seconds of play when he rushed LeMay into a quick shot that rolled inches wide at the near post, securing the deserved point for the Ramblers.
Loyola returns to action on Saturday night for another crucial conference encounter. The Ramblers will take on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Cougars at 7 p.m. from Edwardsville, Ill.
