CHICAGO (April 14, 2021)
In Short…
Senior
Lindsey Hardiman scored with just under three minutes gone in the second overtime as the top-seeded Loyola University Chicago women's soccer team (7-1-1, 6-1-1 MVC) downed fourth-seeded Illinois State (4-7-1, 4-4-0 MVC) by a final score of 2-1 this afternoon at Loyola Soccer Park in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. Today's victory sends the Ramblers to their third straight MVC Championship title game.
Head Coach Barry Bimbi's Thoughts…
"Today was a battle. We keep reminding the girls that this is a new, young group, which is a little different from what we had in 2019. I thought we came out fine, but took our foot of the gas a little bit in the second half. We hit the post and had some really good scoring opportunities, but never did get the second one. Credit goes to Illinois State as well. They battled until the end and gave us everything we could handle today."
How It Happened
Senior
Katharine Stephens came close to putting Loyola on the board three minutes in, chasing down a bounding ball before firing wide of Illinois State netminder Priya Gillan's goal.
The Maroon & Gold continued to see the better of the chances as the first half wore on and were rewarded for their persistence in the 37
th minute. Following a spirited run down the right flank, sophomore
Megan Nemec sent a feed across the face of goal that found the left foot of fellow sophomore
Kyrsten Pellikan, who directed in at the far post to send the Ramblers into halftime with a 1-0 advantage.
Loyola came out of the intermission and quickly looked to add a second, with junior
Aly Kilburg, senior
Freya Glen, and Hardiman all forcing stops out of Gillan in the half's opening quarter-hour. Glen came up with a crucial intervention on the other end of the field in the 62
nd minute, stepping in to block Shaina Dudas' blast that was headed for goal.
Stephens had a golden opportunity to potentially salt the game away in the 66
th minute, breaking free before unleashing a left-footed effort that bested Gillan, but struck the inside of the near post, keeping the Redbirds within one. Illinois State made Loyola pay with just over six minutes to play in regulation, as Riley O'Brien headed a misplayed clearance past an onrushing sophomore
Grace Droessler to put the visitors back on level terms and send the game to overtime.
After an opening extra session that saw the Ramblers tally a pair of attempts, the duo of Nemec and Hardiman put an end to any suspense in the 103
rd minute. Following another terrific run into the attacking third, Nemec looked to have designs on ending things on her own, ringing her effort from 10 yards out off the crossbar. Hardiman found herself the recipient of the resulting rebound, calmly slotting home from the edge of the six-yard box to set off a wild celebration and punch Loyola's ticket to Sunday's final.
Looking At The Numbers
- Today's win marks the third time in as many years that Loyola has eliminated Illinois State from the MVC Championship.
- Hardiman's game-winner was her team-high fifth goal of the year.
- Pellikan netted the first goal of her collegiate career during the first half.
- Nemec, who was one of eight Ramblers to play the entire game, was credited with assists on both goals, bringing her team-leading total in the category to eight.
- Droessler finished with a pair of saves.
- Neither team shied away from taking chances, combining for 37 shots, with Loyola holding a 23-14 edge.
- Gillan recorded four saves in goal for Illinois State.
Up Next
Loyola will host third-seeded Valparaiso, which defeated Indiana State, 1-0, in double overtime the day's other semifinal, in the MVC Championship title game on Sunday, April 18. Kickoff from Loyola Soccer Park is scheduled for 1 p.m.
