CHICAGO (March 14, 2021)

In Short…
Senior Tyler Biggs scored less than seven minutes in before junior Fabian Becerra added a goal of his own early on in the second half as the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team (3-1-2, 2-0-1 MVC) downed visiting Bradley (2-3-0, 1-3-0 MVC), 2-0, this afternoon in its 2021 debut at Loyola Soccer Park.
 
Head Coach Neil Jones' Thoughts…
"Bradley is always a difficult opponent.  I thought our guys did a great job in the first half of finding a goal when we had the wind.  We dug in during the second half and had to defend, which we did quite well.  It's great to get another shutout and great to be back at home.  Now we prepare for another tough game on the road against Drake on Thursday."
 
How It Happened
In stark contrast to Tuesday's win at Evansville, junior goalkeeper Simon Jillson was tested early, dropping down to corral Gerit Wintermeyer's free kick from 20 yards out in the opening minute of play.  Junior Andrew Mitchell headed just over the bar shortly after off a delivery from sophomore Marc Torrellas.
 
Torrellas found himself back in the mix for Loyola's breakthrough in the seventh minute, sending a free kick into the box that ultimately fell to Biggs.  The senior did the rest, slipping his attempt in traffic past Bradley netminder Bryce Logan to put the Ramblers on top, 1-0.  Torrellas came close to doubling the Loyola lead in the 22^nd minute, hooking his shot just wide of the far post, as Loyola settled for a 1-0 lead at halftime.
 
The pairing of Torrellas and Becerra gave the Ramblers some welcome insurance on the hour mark.  Torrellas laid a ball off to Becerra, who unleashed a screaming right-footed effort from distance that hit off the crossbar before going over the line to make it 2-0.
 
Loyola nearly struck for a third just five minutes after Becerra's goal, forcing a fine double save out of Logan, who turned away both redshirt sophomore Michael Hong and freshman Lukas Ender in rapid succession.  Patrick Fishburne came close to cutting the Maroon & Gold's lead in half in the 79^th minute, narrowly sending his attempt over Jillson's crossbar.  Loyola went on to hold Bradley without a quality scoring opportunity the rest of the way, extending its unbeaten run to five games.
 
Looking At The Numbers
- Biggs opened his 2021 account this afternoon, netting his second career goal and first game winner.
- Becerra's second-half tally brings his goal total to the year to two, moving him into sole possession of the team lead in the category.
- Torrellas enjoyed a productive day, assisting on both goals in addition to finishing with a team-high three attempts.
- Jillson finished with a pair of saves as Loyola extended its shutout streak to five games.  The Ramblers, who have held their opposition scoreless for 490 consecutive minutes of play, have limited three of their six opponents this spring to two or less shots or goal.
 
Up Next
Loyola heads back out on the road on Thursday, March 18 to battle Drake in Des Moines, Iowa.