In Short
After being down early in the first half, the second-seeded Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team (11-4-3) rallied to defeat the Bradley Braves (8-7-4), 2-1 in the second Missouri Valley Conference semifinals match on Friday evening at Loyola Soccer Park.
Coach Neil Jones Thoughts
"We were trying to be a lot more aggressive," Jones said. "Especially when we've played here in the regular season at our place. We had a lot of shots but didn't put a lot on frame. We were very timid at times and not aggressive enough, so we focused on being more aggressive in the second half. I have to give huge respect to Bradley and their seniors. It's been a pleasure to coach against those guys who unfortunately ended their careers tonight, but I have nothing but huge respect for that program and those seniors and I wish them the best of luck as they move on. We're excited to play on Sunday against such a great Missouri State team. I think its a good championship, the number one and two seeds and two good teams going to battle again, looking forward to that."
How It Happened
Despite playing to two scoreless draws this season, both teams tallied goals in the first half. Bradley found the back of the net first, seemingly by mistake. In the 15th minute, Bradley's Jack Lang dribbled inside the box and attempted a pass to a Bradley teammate. The ball was caught on
Marius Kullmann's foot and deflected in for a Bradley goal.
The Ramblers came back in the 27th minute after being awarded a penalty kick. Loyola and Bradley collided after running side-by-side towards the ball. Player of the Year
Aidan Megally calmly launched the ball inside the left post for his tenth goal of the season.
Loyola would claim the advantage in the 60th minute when
Alex Moskal passed to
Justin Sukow. Sukow's shot on target slotted inside the left post past Bradley goalkeeper Nathan Wisbey for the win.
A Look At The Numbers
- Top scorers Megally and Sukow notched their 10th and ninth goals of the season to lead Loyola to victory.
- The match took a physical turn as Loyola received two yellow cards and Bradley was given four yellows and one red card.
- Loyola out-shot Bradley 15-5, and six Ramblers put at least one shot on target.
Up Next
Loyola faces top-seeded Missouri State (17-0-0) for the third time this season, this time in the MVC Championship match on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park.
