In Short…
Loyola men's soccer team gets back in the win column with a 2-0 victory at SIUE behind remarkable goalkeeping from Josh Lagudah. The Ramblers posted two goals within the first six minutes of the match and held on for the win.

Coach Jones' Thoughts
"Tonight was a fantastic team performance against a very talented, well coached SIUE team," head coach Neil Jones said. "The boys dug deep after going down to 10 men, and simply put, they refused to give up the lead. Now we must turn our attention to another quality team in DePaul. We will enjoy this win tonight, and begin our preparations tomorrow."
 
How It Happened
Josh Lagudah made his first official start since his shutout vs. Cleveland State (Aug. 27) and was tested early and often. His first save in the match's first 45 minutes came in the second minute to help ease him into the frame.
 
The Ramblers inserted themselves in the driver's seat in the match's fifth minute when Aidan Megally notched his first goal of the season on a penalty kick after a Cougar foul in the box. Megally's shot beat the keeper to his right and earned the first point of the season for the Park Ridge, Ill. native.
 
Moments later, the Ramblers doubled their lead when Fabian Lifka took advantage of a loose ball in the box. The senior captain blasted a shot home for his first goal of the season, putting Loyola up 2-0 in the process.
 
With an early multi-goal lead, Lagudah stood tall and turned away many high-quality scoring chances to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard. A notable sequence occurred in the 13^th minute when the Australia native came up with back-to-back diving saves, point blank from inside the box to preserve the 2-0 lead.
 
The Cougars registered a few more chances in the first half, such as a header on net in the 17^th minute, but the scoreboard stayed at 2-0, Loyola, after 45.
 
A pair of cautions were issued to the Ramblers early in the second half. Giann Magno received a red card in the 55^th minute, forcing Neil Jones to operate a man down for the final 35 minutes of regulation. Despite the disadvantage, the Ramblers continued to extinguish Cougar chances down the stretch.
 
Lagudah stood his ground in the second half, picking up three more saves to push his total to eight. After his teammates blocked and forced a shot wide in the 65^th minute, Lagudah made his final stop of the night in the 68^th minute by finding himself in good position to make the snag.
 
Marius Kullmann registered the final shot on goal of the match in the 90^th minute, and that kept the ball on the other side of the field long enough to only allow one more SIUE chance, finishing off the hard-earned 2-0 win.
 
A Look at the Numbers
-The 2-0 win is the first match in the series history that had a two-goal victory on either side.
-Lagudah finished his night with eight saves to his credit, the most by a Rambler in a match since Tim Dobrowolski compiled 11 at Drake on Oct. 11, 2014.
-Aidan Megally's penalty kick goal was his first tally of the season, and the Ramblers' first goal of a PK in 2018.
-SIUE recorded 20 shots in the contest in comparison to Loyola's six.
 
Up Next
A quick turnaround for Loyola sees itself invading DePaul on Sept. 18 for a 3 p.m. contest in the "Red Line Rivalry" series.