June 11, 2014
2014 Schedule
CHICAGO - Head coach Barry Bimbi and the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team announced its 2014 schedule on Wednesday. The Ramblers, coming off a third-place finish in their first season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, will play an 18-game regular season schedule that is highlighted by matchups with five teams that participated in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
"We are very excited for year two in the Missouri Valley Conference and looking to improve on our third-place finish from last season," Bimbi said. "We have put together a very competitive schedule with five NCAA Tournament teams from last season, starting up on opening night with a perennial top-25 team in Marquette."
Loyola will host a pair of exhibition contests before beginning its regular season. The first of those clashes will be against Eastern Illinois on Aug. 12 before a meeting with SIU-Edwardsville two days later (Aug. 14) at Loyola Soccer Park. Marquette, the reigning BIG EAST Tournament Champion, will provide the opposition when the Ramblers open the regular season on Aug. 22 at the Marquette Invitational. The Ramblers will wrap up play in Milwaukee, Wis. on Aug. 24 in a Sunday morning clash with Farleigh Dickinson.
A four-game homestand kicks off a slate of eight home contests for the Maroon & Gold in 2014. Western Illinois will provide the opposition in the home opener on Aug. 29 before the Ramblers host Pac-12 foe Arizona State on Aug. 31. Matchups with Western Michigan (Sept. 5) and UW-Green Bay (Sept. 7), the first of three former Horizon League rivals on the 2014 slate, wrap up the home stretch.
The Ramblers will then turn their attention to a stretch that sees them play three road games in a nine-day span. A trip to Albuquerque, N.M. for a meeting with the New Mexico Lobos on Sept. 12 will be followed by a clash with red line rival DePaul on Sept. 14 in Lincoln Park. Following a Thursday night matchup on Sept. 18 with Milwaukee at Loyola Soccer Park, the Ramblers will take on IPFW in Fort Wayne, Ind. on Sept. 21.
"We are renewing our rivalry with Milwaukee again after a year off from playing each other, so it will be nice to have them back on the schedule," Bimbi continued. "I'm very excited about the way the schedule is laid out with the second and third weekends having four straight home games. This will be great for our families, friends and fans as we look to build momentum heading into two difficult road games at New Mexico and against a NCAA Tournament participant in DePaul. I think this schedule will prepare us to be playing our best soccer in October and for success in the Valley."
Loyola lifts the lid on Missouri Valley Conference play when it takes on Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind. on Sept. 26. Following trips to UIC (Sept. 28) and Valparaiso (Oct. 4), the Ramblers will close out the season with five consecutive conference games, three of which will be played within the friendly confines of Loyola Soccer Park. That stretch begins with home matchups against Drake (Oct. 8), who ended Loyola's season in last year's Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Tournament, and Illinois State (Oct. 11), who ran the table in conference play last season en route to sweeping the regular season and tournament championships. Road trips to Northern Iowa (Oct. 19) and Missouri State (Oct. 25) and followed by the 2014 home finale against Evansville on Oct. 30.
Opening round play of the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Tournament will take place on campus sites on Nov. 2. Illinois State will play host to the semifinals and championship game on Nov. 7 and 9, respectively, at Adelaide Street Field in Normal, Ill.
Bimbi welcomes back 23 letterwinners, highlighted by nine starters, in 2014. The group is led by All-Missouri Valley Conference selections Monica Gonyo, Mariah Vichich, Hailey Merrill and Shelby Koch.
