SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Nov. 12, 2021) – For the fourth time in as many seasons, the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team will compete in the Missouri Valley Conference semifinals as they hope to make it to the finals yet again. This time, they will face the University of Evansville Purple Aces at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 12. 
 
The last time the Ramblers faced the Aces in the MVC tournament, it resulted in a quarterfinal victory for Evansville, which kicked Loyola out of the running in 2017. 
 
Last Time Out: Earlier this season, the Ramblers and the Aces faced off in Rogers Park, where Loyola won in dominating fashion with an ending score of 5-1. In that match, Julian Cisneros scored two goals while Billy Hency, Oscar Dueso and Lukas Ender each added one. Most of the scoring took place in the first half, with just the one goal from Ender and one goal from the Aces being scored in the first five minutes of the second half. 
 
Earlier in the MVC regular season, Loyola and Evansville faced off for the first time in the fall of 2021 on Sept. 18 in Evansville, Ind. The two teams ended with a tie game, resulting in a scoreless double-overtime contest. 

Series Stuff: When it comes to the MVC semifinals, the Ramblers have a 3-2-1 record while the Aces' record stands a 3-4-1. 
 
Throughout the season, Evansville has battled to remain in the top half of the stand­ings and happened to fall short at the end. However, they continue to keep their postseason run alive following a 4-2 win over Drake. Loyola remained a top contender in the conference all season long, locking up their No. 2 seed before the regular season ended. 
 
Looking at the numbers, Loyola is in a better position on both offense and defense. Billy Hency, Oscar Dueso, Fabian Becerra and Julian Cisneros continue to be the offensive force behind the Ramblers. In comparison, the Aces only have two main weapons in Jakub Hall and Pablo Guillen, who have 12 and eight points on the season, respectively. During their quarterfinal contest against Drake, however, Nkosi Graham was the primary goal-scorer for Evansville, registering two of the team's four goals. 
 
In goal, Marcel Kampman leads the team and is second in the conference rankings as he boasts a .892 goals-against average. For the Aces, Jacob Madden is the main player in net as he leads the conference in saves per game with 4.47 although his goals-against average of 1.839 is the worst in the MVC. 
 
Up Next: If the Ramblers are able to come out of tomorrow's semifinal with a win, they will go on to face the winner of No. 1 Missouri State and No. 6 Bradley, who will play their match following the Ramblers and Aces on Friday. The MVC Championship will take place on Sunday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. 
 
For updates on how the Ramblers are doing in the MVC Tournament, check back to loyolaramblers.com or on their Twitter account @ramblersmsoc.