Final Stats

CHICAGO - Elliot Collier scored with only 15 seconds remaining in the second half to cap off an improbable, come-from-behind victory, 3-2, for the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team tonight over city-rival UIC at Loyola Soccer Park. With the win, the Ramblers move back above the .500 mark at 5-4-4 (1-1-1 Missouri Valley), while the Flames slip to 6-6-2 (2-2-1 Horizon League).

"Something that is a big part of what we wanted to achieve this year is getting comeback wins and we had to comeback twice tonight to get a very good home victory that we needed," Loyola head men's soccer coach Neil Jones said. "I thought that we dominated large portions of the game but once we got into the final third, there wasn't quite the necessary combination to get the goal. All in all, it's nice to get back on the winning track and now we move forward to a huge conference game on Saturday against Central Arkansas."

Both teams struggled to find opportunities in the opening quarter of an hour in a game that was primarily played in the middle third of the field on a cold evening in Rogers Park. The visitors from the West Side of Chicago struck first in the 20th minute when Jose Fuentes took advantage of a Loyola turnover deep in the Ramblers own third, calmly slotting his shot inside the far post from 15 yards out to put the Flames on top, 1-0.

Fuentes' goal seemed to awaken the Rambler attack as Loyola began to create opportunities. Andrew Raymonds made a bid for his first goal of the campaign in the 30th minute but ripped his shot over the crossbar from 10 yards out. The freshman duo of Brody Kraussel and John Cappuccitti went to work just over a minute later when Kraussel fed a through ball into the box for Cappuccitti, who was unable to get his full effort behind the shot as it rolled to Andrew Putna, the Flames netminder. Loyola outshot its former Horizon League rival by a count of 5-3 in the opening stanza but found itself behind on the scoreboard heading into halftime.

The Ramblers looked to take control of the game following the intermission. Brian Bement came dangerously close to tying the game up in the 50th minute when Kraussel sent a low cross into the box that the Waterloo, Ill. product back-heeled on target, only for the UIC defense to clear it off the line and keep the Ramblers at bay. Another flurry from the hosts in the 60th minute saw Michael Carragher, making the first start of his collegiate career, and Daniel Hare each have their respective attempts blocked inside the penalty area before Bement fired high from the edge of the box. It turned out only to be a matter of time before Loyola's leading goal scorer from last season notched his first tally of 2014. Bement was on the receiving end of a perfectly placed cross from Collier in the 64th minute that the senior directed into the back of the net to level the game at 1-1.

UIC wasted little time in trying to regain the lead. Goalkeeper Tim Dobrowolski was forced into a fine save in the 69th minute on Nathan Laude's one-timer from eight yards out. Laude would get the best of the Ramblers in the 74th minute when he took advantage of a loose ball in the box, firing it into the back of the net from near the penalty spot to put the Flames back on top, 2-1.

With time ticking away, Loyola continued to press on in the hopes of protecting its undefeated home record. The second equalizer of the night for the Ramblers came with only 64 seconds remaining when the recently substituted Jacob Thoreson was on the receiving end of a flick from Bement off a Raymonds cross. The Auburn, Wash. product got just enough of a touch on the ball to sneak it past Putna to make it 2-2.

Looking like it was on track for its eighth-straight overtime contest, Loyola took advantage of an offside call on the Flames just inside the final minute. The Ramblers pushed forward and were rewarded when Collier found a loose ball at his feet 25 yards away from goal. The Hamilton, New Zealand native unleashed a picturesque strike that found the lower corner of the goal at the far post, completing the comeback for Loyola.

The Ramblers return to Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday afternoon when they take on Central Arkansas. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. from Conway, Ark.