CHICAGO (April 16, 2021) – The Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team (7-3-2, 5-2-1 MVC) will look to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in as many years on Saturday when it battles No. 13 Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship title game in Springfield, Mo. Kickoff between the third-seeded Ramblers and top-seeded Bears is slated for 2 p.m. at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium.
Last Time Out: Loyola rolled to a 4-1 victory over Drake in a semifinal-round matchup on Tuesday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa. Junior
Billy Hency put the Ramblers on the board in the 33
rd minute, converting from the penalty spot for his team-high sixth goal of the year. After seeing Erik Sigman equalize for the hosts shortly after, a Bulldog own goal in the 42
nd minute gave the Maroon & Gold a lead it would not relinquish. Sophomores
Oscar Dueso and
Marc Torrellas each added goals in the second half as Loyola booked its third straight trip to the MVC final.
vs. Missouri State: Missouri State, which took home its second straight MVC regular season title, enters Saturday's final at 10-1-0 overall (7-1-0 MVC), with their lone blemish on the year coming in a 2-0 loss at the hands of the Ramblers back on April 8. After falling into an early 1-0 hole against fourth-seeded Bradley this past Tuesday, the Bears rattled off three unanswered goals to dispatch the Braves, 3-1, and book their spot in the title game. Missouri State garnered nine selections in the recently announced All-MVC teams, led by the pairing of Nicolo Mulatero and Kyle Hiebert. Mulatero was named the MVC Forward of the Year following a standout campaign in which he led The Valley in goals (7), assists (7), and overall points (21). Hiebert received his second consecutive MVC Defensive Player of the Year nod after starting in all 11 games for a Bears' defensive unit that has totaled five shutouts.
Series Stuff: Saturday's MVC Championship title game marks the 17th meeting between Loyola and Missouri State in men's soccer. The Bears sport an 8-5-3 (.594) lead in the all-time series. After dropping a 2-0 decision at Loyola Soccer Park on March 26, goals from
Billy Hency and
Andrew Schweinert propelled Loyola to its aforementioned 2-0 win over then No. 8 Missouri State, handing the Bears their first regular season defeat in 26 games. The Ramblers and Bears played a classic in the 2019 MVC Championship title game, with
Tyler Biggs scoring in the waning moments of regulation to send the game to overtime knotted up at 1-1 before Loyola won on penalty kicks, 5-4.
Up Next: With a victory over Missouri State, Loyola would capture the MVC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 29.
