CHICAGO (April 11, 2021) – Currently riding a three-game win streak, the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team (6-3-2, 5-2-1 MVC) begins play in the 2021 MVC Men's Soccer Championship when it battles Drake in a semifinal-round tilt on Tuesday afternoon.  The third-seeded Ramblers and second-seeded Bulldogs are scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff inside Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa.
 
Last Time Out: Junior Billy Hency and redshirt sophomore Andrew Schweinert both scored as Loyola picked up a 2-0 win over No. 8 Missouri State this past Thursday in Springfield, Mo.  Hency opened the scoring in the 14^th minute, unleashing a screaming right-footed volley to put the Maroon & Gold on the board before assisting on Schweinert's second-half tally as the Ramblers brought an end to Missouri State's perfect start to the 2021 spring season.
 
vs. Drake: Like Loyola, Drake enters the conference tournament on a three-game win streak of its own.  The Bulldogs, who are 5-1-0 over their last six games, finished the year at 5-2-1 overall, playing only Missouri Valley Conference opposition.  Under the guidance of head coach Gareth Smith, Drake, which was picked third in the MVC Preseason Poll, features a balanced attack that has seen 10 different players tally goals this year.  The pairing of Istvan Wilhelms and Leroy Enzugusi sit atop the team's scoring chart.  Wilhelms has netted a team-high three goals, in addition to two assists, while Enzugusi, who was selected by Nashville FC in January's Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft, has added two goals and a team-best three assists.  Jared Brown has been a fixture in goal, starting in all eight contests.  The graduate transfer sports a 0.86 goals against average that ranks second overall amongst MVC netminders.
 
Series Stuff: Tuesday's semifinal will mark the 21st installment of the rivalry between Loyola and Drake in men's soccer.  The Bulldogs hold an 8-6-6 (.550) lead in the all-time series, but the Maroon & Gold has closed that gap considerably, going 5-1-5 (.682) across the previous 11 meetings.  After playing to a 0-0 double-overtime draw back on February 28 in Loves Park, Ill., Drake picked up its first victory in its last 11 tries against Loyola in the return matchup on March 18 in Des Moines, Iowa, dealing the Ramblers a 2-1 setback.  Freshman Julian Cisneros tallied his first collegiate goal in the closing seconds of the defeat.
 
Up Next: With a win on Tuesday, Loyola will advance to the MVC Championship title game on Saturday, April 17, where it will face the winner of the matchup between top-seeded Missouri State and fourth-seeded Bradley.