In Short…
Vasco Cardoso notched the night's lone goal in the first half off a cross from Billy Hency to put Loyola ahead in the 29^th minute. The goal was Cardoso's second of the season, which was also his second game-winner this year.

Coach Jones' Thoughts
"Billy [Hency] is coming into his own and being very dangerous being in those wide areas and providing service," head coach Neil Jones said. "He made a great run in the box - we've been working on making runs in the box in training - and it was a great finish."
 
How It Happened
Scoring chances were hard to come by right off the bat, with the first shot attempt not coming until the 6^th minute. A handful of fouls within the match's opening five minutes caused the flow to stay around midfield.
 
Tucker Stephenson continued his onslaught of shot attempts, registering the first two of the match. The Overland Park, Kan. native had one blocked in the 6^th minute and sent one wide in the 26^th.
 
Moments later in the 24^th minute, Grant Stoneman showed early the kind of defensive presence he'd bring to the pitch with a nice play from 23 yards out to break up a high-quality scoring chance for Xavier. Stoneman's slide-tackle sent the ball out of bounds and prevented a breakaway and shot for the Musketeers.
 
In the 29^th minute, Billy Hency dribbled down the sideline and fed it in front of the Xavier goalkeeper across the middle. Vasco Cardoso found himself in position to capitalize on the helper and put Loyola in the driver's seat with his second goal of the season.
 
The Ramblers nearly made it 2-0 in the 64^th minute when Josh Lagudah dished a long pass from his own box to a streaking Ryan Walker. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native corralled the ball and turned the play into a semi-breakaway, but sent the shot high resulting in the first attempt of the second frame.
 
For most of the second half the play went up and down the field, which provided Loyola's defense with plenty of opportunities to clear out any offensive chances Xavier would have. The back line made a handful of unsung plays to hold Xavier to zero shots on goal, including clearing two corner kicks in the second half, and winning a 50-50 header near the Loyola bench that Marius Kullmann came away with to kill more clock.
 
With the Ramblers doing a good job keeping Xavier out of high-percentage scoring areas, Neil Jones' squad held their opponent to three shots in the final 45 to preserve a 1-0 victory and ink win number five on the year.
 
A Look At The Numbers
-Vasco Cardoso is the first Loyola freshman to record multiple game-winning goals in a season since John Cappuccitti in 2014.
-Xavier's four shots on Tuesday night is tied for the second fewest the Ramblers have allowed this season.
-The shutout marks Josh Lagudah's fifth this season and his first while not having to record a save. His GAA now sits at 0.63 on the season.
-The victory was Neil Jones' 50^th at the helm of the men's soccer program.
 
Up Next
Loyola looks ahead to a big test at home Saturday night (Oct. 13) against No. 25 Missouri State. The 7:30 p.m. matchup against the first place Bears will follow a Loyola women's soccer match at Loyola Soccer Park – serving as the back-end of a doubleheader.