CHICAGO (November 7, 2019) – The regular season will conclude for the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team on Saturday, as the Ramblers square off against Valparaiso at 7 p.m. at Brown Field in Valparaiso, Ind. With a win over Valpo, the Ramblers can lock in a second seed in the MVC Tournament, which begins Wednesday.
 
Last Time Out: The Ramblers fell to No. 9 Missouri State, 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Springfield, Mo. The undefeated Bears scored two goals in the first half, including one goal in the first 14 seconds to set the tone for the match. Justin Sukow scored his sixth goal of the season with 22 seconds left to prevent the shutout and Alex Moskal and Billy Hency were credited with assists. Until falling to Missouri State, Loyola hadn't lost a match since September 22.
 
vs. Valparaiso: Valpo played No. 9 Missouri State on October 30 and nearly upset them as the Crusaders held a 2-0 lead as late as the 72nd minute. Missouri State then scored three consecutive unanswered goals to result in a Bears 3-2 victory in overtime. Valpo was the first team to score two goals against the Bears this season. The Crusaders boasted their first shutout win of the season as they topped Evansville, 1-0 on Sunday afternoon. Ryan Madondo scored his first game-winning goal as a Crusader to help Valpo sweep the regular season series with the Purple Aces. Head coach Mike Avery is in his 13th season and owns a program record 91 career victories. Valpo was named sixth in the MVC Preseason Poll following a 5-8-4 (2-1-3 MVC) record in 2018. Saturday is Senior Night for the Crusaders, who are locked in to the No. 5 seed in the MVC Tournament.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola and Valpo will meet for the 27th time on Saturday night. This marks the 13th consecutive season the two teams have played each other. In the most recent match on October 12, the Ramblers defeated the Crusaders, 2-0 at Loyola Soccer Park. Ethan Stoneman and Aidan Megally tallied goals for the Maroon & Gold.
 
Up Next: The MVC Tournament kicks off on Wednesday at Loyola Soccer Park. The two quarterfinal matches will be played at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Loyola will learn its bracket seeding following the conclusion of the match against Valpo.