In Short…
Junior Connor Stevenson's goal in the early stages of the second half proved to be the difference as the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team defeated in-state foe Northern Illinois, 1-0, this afternoon in exhibition action at the NIU Soccer Complex in DeKalb, Ill.  Today's result sees the Ramblers move their preseason record to 1-0-1, while the Huskies drop to 0-1-0.
 
How It Happened
Loyola looked to strike early on a humid afternoon in DeKalb as a pair of corner kicks from junior Fabian Lifka were cleared away in the eighth minute.  Just over 15 minutes later, fellow junior Tucker Stephenson saw his attempt in the box blocked before senior Kyle Thomson forced a save out of Drew Donnally, the Huskies' starting netminder.
 
Northern Illinois' only attempt on target of the opening stanza fell to the feet of Jan Maertins.  Freshman goalkeeper Evan Konermann was up to the task in goal though as he turned away Maertins' try in the 35^th minute to keep the score at 0-0 heading into halftime.
 
Following an early shot from Northern Illinois' Kevin Rodriguez, Stevenson put the Ramblers on the board four minutes into the second half as he directed a pass from freshman Tyler Biggs into the back of the net to make it 1-0 in favor of the Maroon & Gold. 
 
Freshman goalkeeper Aidan Aylward, who started the second half between the pipes for Loyola, notched his lone save of the day in the 69^th minute when he turned away Sheriden Smith's bid for an equalizer.  That would prove to be the Huskies' final opportunity of the afternoon as the Ramblers closed out a 1-0 victory.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Stevenson has now found the back of the net in each of Loyola's first two exhibition games.
- The Ramblers finished the afternoon with a narrow 7-5 edge in shots.
- Both Konermann and Aylward recorded a save in goal as they look to fill the void left by the graduation of Andrew Chekadanov, the 2016 Missouri Conference Goalkeeper of the Year.

Up Next
Loyola wraps up its three-game exhibition slate on Saturday night when it hosts Marquette.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Loyola Soccer Park.