DES MOINES, Iowa (March 18, 2021)
In Short…
Freshman
Julian Cisneros scored the first goal of his career late in the second half, as Drake (2-1-1, 2-1-1 MVC) dealt the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team (3-2-2, 2-1-1 MVC) a 2-1 defeat this afternoon at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Today's setback to the Bulldogs snaps the Ramblers five-game unbeaten run.
Head Coach Neil Jones' Thoughts…
"It was very tough road game today. I thought that Drake was a deserved winner through taking the chances they got well, and being much more savvy than our team was over the course of the game. We must now regroup and refocus for a top Missouri State team back home next Friday."
How It Happened
Drake wasted no time in striking on a sunny but windy afternoon in Iowa's state capital. A Bulldog corner kick was cleared only as far as Erik Fahner, who let fly with a screaming left-footed blast that found its way in the bottom corner to stake the hosts to a 1-0 lead just three minutes in.
Sophomore
Marc Torrellas looked to provide a response for the Maroon & Gold near the quarter-hour mark, taking aim at the upper corner with his free kick from well over 30 yards out, only for Drake goalkeeper Jared Brown to tip over the bar. Torrellas was back in the mix again in the 24
th minute, sending a corner kick towards the center of the box that was headed high by fellow sophomore
Oscar Dueso. Redshirt sophomore Hong came tantalizingly close to knotting the game up in the 38
th minute, striking the post. Junior goalkeeper
Simon Jillson notched a save in the 43
rd minute to keep Loyola within one at halftime.
With the wind to its back in the second half, the Ramblers nearly pulled level with only three minutes gone. Junior
Billy Hency went streaking towards goal, but was denied by a sprawling Brown in a one-on-one situation. Brown was up to the task again in the 69
th minute, parrying away an attempt by Cisneros from inside the box.
Loyola continued to push deeper into Drake's third of the field as time began to run out, with junior
Fabian Becerra, the reigning MVC Offensive Player of the Week, forcing another stop out of Brown in the 78
th minute. Attempts in the closing five minutes by sophomore
Andrew Mitchell and Hong both went awry.
Leroy Enzugusi looked to all but settle it with only 63 seconds remaining, slipping his attempt past Jillson to double the Drake lead, 2-0. Cisneros struck back off the ensuing restart, unleashing a blast from 25 yards out that bested an outstretched Brown to quickly cut the hosts' lead in half, 2-1. That would prove to be the Ramblers' final shot of afternoon, as Drake held on for a victory on its home field.
Looking At The Numbers
- Cisneros became the sixth different Rambler to tally a goal this season.
- Hency was credited with his first assist of the year on Cisneros' second-half strike.
- Loyola closed the game with a 12-5 advantage in shots, paced by a three-shot day from Torrellas.
- Fahner's opening goal snapped a streak that saw Loyola hold its opponents scoreless for 493 consecutive minutes of play.
Up Next
Loyola is back in action when it hosts No. 13/23 Missouri State on Friday, March 26 in a 2 p.m. kickoff at Loyola Soccer Park.
