CHICAGO (October 16, 2021) – The Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team (6-3-1) is back in Rogers Park on Saturday, Oct. 16, as they prepare to take on the Evansville Purple Aces (1-9-1) in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup. Kickoff from Loyola Soccer Park will take place at 6 p.m.
Currently, the Ramblers rank No. 1 in the MVC in seven different statistical categories, including assists per game, penalty kicks, points per game, shots per game, total assists and total points.
Last Time Out: The Ramblers found the back of the net once during their match against No. 11 Missouri State this past Saturday, Oct. 9.
The Bears opened up scoring in the 11th minute, and it took until the 84th minute for Loyola to respond. The game went into overtime, with Missouri State grabbing the golden goal in the 106th minute.
In this contest,
Billy Hency scored the Ramblers' lone goal off a pass from
Fabian Becerra. This was Hency's fifth goal of the season and Becerra's first assist of the year. Hency is currently tied for leading the conference in both goals and points.
vs Evansville: The Aces are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Belmont University Bruins.
Pablo Guillen has been the offensive force for Evansville this year, registering a team-high three goals. He also earned MVC preseason first team honors based on his performance from the abbreviated 2020-21 season.
Another key player to watch is Jacob Madden, who plans to hold down the team's defense. The senior goalkeeper already has 44 saves on the season in eight games played, which is the most saves out of all the goalkeepers in the conference. He also received MVC Defensive Player of the Week honors following his team's match against the Ramblers earlier this season.
Series Stuff: Loyola has control of the history between these two teams with a 7-5-2 record against Evansville. Before their 0-0 draw back in September, the Ramblers were on a five-game winning streak over the Purple Aces.
The goalies for both the Ramblers and Aces will be tested during this matchup. Madden may lead the conference in overall saves, but Loyola's
Marcel Kampman has the best goal against average in the league with a .859. Kampman also has the most shutouts in the MVC with four.
At home in Rogers Park, the Maroon & Gold have an even better record against Evansville as it currently sits at 4-2. Prior to this season, Loyola recorded their highest margin of victory over the Aces on April 4, 2021, winning the match 3-0 with goals from current Ramblers Hency (2) and Becerra.
Up Next: The team will have one week off from competition before they are back on the road as they head to Iowa to take on Drake University. Kickoff in Des Moines will be at 7 p.m.
