CHICAGO (February 13, 2021) – The Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team will be back in action on Sunday afternoon when it heads to Loves Park, Ill. to host in-state foe Northern Illinois at 1 p.m. inside the Mercyhealth Sportscore Two complex.
 
Last Time Out: Beto Marq Soto found the back of the net less than three minutes into overtime as Marquette dealt Loyola a season-opening 1-0 defeat back on February 3 in Milwaukee, Wis.  The Ramblers finished the night with a 13-7 edge in attempts.  For his efforts, senior Liam Woehrle, who played in every minute of the matchup with the Golden Eagles, was named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week. 
 
vs. Northern Illinois: Like Loyola, Northern Illinois (0-1-0, 0-0-0 MAC) dropped a 1-0 overtime decision to Marquette in its regular-season opener on February 7.  Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Ryan Swan, the Huskies return 14 letterwinners from a season ago, a group that includes four of the team's top five scorers.  Spearheading the attack are twin brothers Anthony and Nick Markanich, who combined for 11 goals and seven assists in 2019.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola and Northern Illinois will battle for the 24^th time on Sunday afternoon.  The Huskies own a 13-7-3 (.630) lead in the previous 23 encounters, but Loyola has picked up wins in each of the last four meetings.  When the two teams met last season at Loyola Soccer Park on September 1, 2019, an Aidan Megally second-half tally was the difference in a 1-0 Rambler win.