SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (April 8, 2021)
In Short…
Led by goals from junior
Billy Hency and redshirt sophomore
Andrew Schweinert, the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team brought No. 8 Missouri State's (9-1-0, 7-1-0) perfect season and 25-game regular-season win streak to an end, downing the Bears by a 2-0 margin this afternoon at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium in Springfield, Mo. Today's victory, the Ramblers' third in as many games, sees the Maroon & Gold finish the regular season at 6-3-1 overall and 5-2-1 in Missouri Valley Conference action.
Head Coach Neil Jones' Thoughts…
"When you're playing a top team in college soccer like Missouri State on the road, in order to get a result, you need belief, a team performance, and a bit of luck. We got all of those today, and came out with a big three points. Now we turn our attention to Drake in the conference semifinal."
How It Happened
Senior
Tyler Biggs and Adrian Barosen traded attempts in the opening minutes, both sending their respective shots wide on a windy afternoon in the Ozarks.
Hency put Loyola on the board first in the 14
th minute. In similar fashion to his opening tally against Evansville last Sunday, the Fenton, Mo. native deflected a pass before unleashing a right-footed volley from just inside the 18-yard box that bested a diving Missouri State goalkeeper Michael Creek to stake the Maroon & Gold to a 1-0 lead.
The hosts nearly netted an equalizer just four minutes after Hency's strike. A Missouri State corner kick found its way to an unmarked Kyle Hiebert at the far post, who headed on goal, only for freshman
Julian Cisneros to clear his effort off the line. Sophomore
Alex Moskal came close to doubling the Rambler lead seconds before the halftime whistle, but fired narrowly wide of Creek's far post as Loyola settled for a 1-0 edge at the break.
Hency nearly made it two-goal lead in the 57
th minute of play. Following a feed from sophomore
Oscar Dueso, he slid his attempt past Creek, but struck the far post as the margin remained at 1-0.
The pairing of Hency and Schweinert gave the Ramblers some breathing room just over 15 minutes following the former's near make. After corralling a pass in the box, Hency sent a rolling shot on target that was deflected by a Missouri State defender before landing at the feet of Schweinert, who directed home to give Loyola a 2-0 advantage. Junior goalkeeper
Simon Jillson came up with a pair of key stops in the game's closing minutes, cementing the Ramblers' first road win over a nationally-ranked foe since the 2016 season.
Inside The Box Score
- Hency, the reigning Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week, continued his red-hot play of late today in his home state, finishing with a goal and an assist. Over Loyola's last three games, he has netted four goals and dished out three assists.
- Schweinert's goal in the second half was the first of his collegiate career.
- Jillson closed the afternoon with a pair of saves, as Loyola secured it seventh clean sheet of the year.
Up Next
Loyola will open play in the MVC Men's Soccer Championship on Tuesday, April 13 against Drake in a semifinal-round clash. Location and kickoff time will both be determined following the completion of the regular season on Thursday evening.