In Short
After a thrilling double overtime that took the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team and ninth-ranked Missouri State into a penalty kick shootout, the Ramblers came out on top to win their first ever MVC Championship title and advance to the NCAA Tournament this afternoon at Loyola Soccer Park.

Coach Neil Jones Thoughts
"Playing on our own field in front of the majority of our own fans in the crowd, that helps, so thank you so much to the fans and the alums that came out," Jones said. "This win is for Ray O'Connell, this win is for his family, his legacy that he left here at Loyola. The former head coach who unfortunately passed away recently and was here for 25 years and built this program from the ground up. I'm fortunate enough to be in the drivers seat driving this thing forward now but we're forever indebted to him and the alumni for building this program into what it has become today."

How It Happened
The entire match between the Ramblers and Bears was an all-out battle from start to finish. Missouri State launched five shot attempts in the first 20 minutes, including two on target that were saved by Marcel Kampman. Justin Sukow and Billy Hency would also each put a shot on goal, but Michael Creek would also answer with two saves.

The momentum picked up even more in the second half, when Matthew Bentley fired a shot in the 57th minute. Connor Langan tapped a pass to Bentley who was right outside the box. Bentley spinned away from Loyola's defense to fire down low.

The clock continued to wind down with Missouri State still up 1-0. A Missouri State foul granted Loyola a free kick which presented Sukow with a final opportunity with just over a minute to go. Sukow fired to a waiting crowd inside the box and Tyler Biggs knocked the header goal.

"In that moment everyone's so excited, but you can't forget that we have to defend still,"  Jones said. "There's still 66 seconds left and how devastating would it be to give up a goal at the end there, so we just had to get to overtime and see if we could make a play in overtime."

Aidan Megally and Billy Hency each had shot attempts in the first overtime but weren't able to execute. In the second overtime, Missouri State saw their best opportunity when Kian Yari fired a shot on goal that was saved by Kampman. Loyola and Missouri State would then face off in a penalty kick shootout, which went on for seven rounds. After being tied 4-4 in the sixth round, Kampman made a big save and Ethan Stoneman fired away for the win, resulting in 5-4 shootout victory.

"PK's are not about technique," Jones said. "It's about calming the nerves, focusing, concentrating and being dialed into the moment and our guys did that today," Jones said.

Megally was named the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Soccer Tournament MVP, for his performance and leadership in helping Loyola advance to the tournament. In addition to Megally, Hency, Sukow and Andrew Mitchell were also named to the All-Tournament team.

A Look At The Numbers
- Loyola became just the seventh host team to win the MVC Tournament.  The last team to win on their home field was Bradley over Missouri State 1-0 in 2013.
- This marked just the third time in league history the MVC Tournament championship went to penalty kicks (2010 and 2003)
- The last time Loyola went to PK's was in the 2015 MVC Tournament against SIUE.
- Missouri State sits 17-0-1 on the season and will join Loyola in the NCAA field, marking the 17^th time in league history two or more teams made the NCAA field. 
- Loyola and Missouri State were nearly even across the board, as Kampman and Creek each tallied four saves and Loyola just outshot Missouri State 13-12. 
- Tyler Biggs recorded his first collegiate goal in the final minutes of regulation.
- Hency tallied four shots, two on goal.

Up Next
Loyola awaits its NCAA Tournament opponent, which will be announced at the NCAA selection show on Monday at 12 pm C.T. on NCAA.com.