Final Stats

CHICAGO - Allison Shimer scored late in the second half but it proved to not be enough as the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team fell to Arizona State this afternoon by a score of 3-1. The Sun Devils improve to 2-1-1 on the season, while the Ramblers fall to 2-2-0.

"We talked to the girls a lot about believing in their performance," Loyola head women's soccer coach Barry Bimbi said. "I thought we gave Arizona State way too much respect in the first half. We played on our back heel a little bit. The staff and I talked to them about the mentality of the game at halftime and in the second half, I thought we were much better. Even after giving up the second goal, the girls kept pushing. I think the girls will take the belief that we can compete with teams of this caliber out of the game after the way we performed following halftime."

The two teams were greeted by hot and humid conditions upon taking the field for warmups. Arizona State was the aggressor in the game's early stages. Aly Moon and Cali Farquharson each notched shots in the opening minutes of the first half. Senior goalkeeper Monica Gonyo was up to the task when called upon in the early going, stopping three shots in the first 20 minutes. Farquharson put the visitors from Tempe, Ariz. on the board first when she calmly slotted her shot inside the far post in the 21st minute.

Shimer recorded Loyola's first shot of the opening stanza in the 37th minute, only to have it blocked by a Sun Devil defender in the box. Even with the lead, Arizona State continued to push for a second goal before halftime. Farquharson tested Gonyo as the final five seconds of the half ticked away with a desperation blast for 30 yards out. The New Berlin, Wis. native was able to leap up and push the ball over the bar to keep the Ramblers within a single goal going into the intermission.

Loyola immerged from its locker room with renewed energy and looked to find its footing as the half wore on. The backline began to frustrate the Sun Devils, holding them to only a pair of shots in the first 20 minutes of the half. Jazmarie Mader was able to notch a second goal for her team in the 73rd minute when she headed home a cross from Mackenzie Semerad.

Despite finding itself in a 2-0 hole with only a quarter of an hour to play, the Ramblers refused to give in and were rewarded in the 86th minute when Shimer found herself on the receiving end of a well-placed service from sophomore Jessica Bean. The Grove City, Ohio native managed to do just enough to get her attempt past Chandler Morris, the Arizona State netminder, to bring her team back to within one.

With time running out and Loyola pushing forward for a potential game-tying goal, Farquharson squashed any hopes of a comeback when she smashed home her second goal of the game from six yards out. Gonyo made a pair of saves in the final minute of play but the Ramblers were unable to generate another chance as Arizona State claimed its second win of the season.

Loyola will now look forward to a pair of games next weekend. On Friday night (Sept. 5), the Ramblers will play host to the Western Michigan Broncos at 5 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park. Fans are encouraged to arrive early for Senior Day festivities prior to kickoff. Loyola wraps up the weekend by taking on former Horizon League rival Green Bay on Sunday (Sept. 7) at 4 p.m. in a game that will take place at Northwestern University's Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill.