CHICAGO (August 24, 2021) – After falling just a game shy of a second straight Missouri Valley Conference tournament title back in April, the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team will officially lift the lid on its 2021 season this week with a pair of challenging tests this week.  The Ramblers will make the short trip south to Lincoln Park to battle DePaul at 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 26 at Wish Field ahead of returning to Loyola Soccer Park on Sunday, August 29 to host Western Michigan in a 5 p.m. kickoff.
 
2021 Preview: Coming off a 7-4-2 finish (5-2-1 MVC) in last spring's abbreviated season, Loyola was picked to finish second in the recently released Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll.
 
Now in his ninth year at the head of the Rambler bench, head coach Neil Jones returns 19 letterwinners from this past spring, a group that includes six All-Valley selections.  Leading the way for that group is the pairing of graduate student Tyler Biggs and senior Billy Hency, both of whom were tabbed Preseason All-MVC.  Biggs was a fixture in the defensive midfield last season, starting in all 13 games en route to being tabbed First Team All-Valley.  Hency, a Preseason All-America honoree by College Soccer News, is coming off a terrific junior campaign in which he netted six goals and dished out four assists on his way to being named the MVC Player of the Year, MVC Midfielder of the Year, and First Team All-Valley.
 
vs. DePaul: Led by fourth-year head coach Mark Plotkin, DePaul is coming off a spring slate in which it finished 2-5-2 overall and 2-5-0 in BIG EAST Conference play.  The Blue Demons went 2-0-1 during their three-game preseason schedule, with wins over Milwaukee, 2-1, and Wheaton, 4-0, bookending an impressive 0-0 draw with traditional national powerhouse Indiana.  Jake Fuderer highlights Plotkin's group of returning letterwinners this season.  A Third Team All-BIG EAST selection this past spring, Fuderer racked up a team-high four goals, bringing his career tally in the category to eight. Jack Richards will also look to provide support in the final third after scoring two goals and dishing out an assist last season.  DePaul finds itself with a question mark in goal following the graduation of Drew Nuelle, who played in every minutes of all nine games this past spring.
 
vs. Western Michigan: Western Michigan, which opens its 2021 slate on the road at Virginia on Thursday night, finished the 2021 spring season at 7-3-1, a mark that included a 5-3-1 ledger in Mid-American Conference (MAC) action.  The Broncos battled to draws with Cleveland State, 3-3, and Wright State, 1-1, during exhibition play.  Seventh-year head coach Chad Wiseman welcomes back an experienced nucleus from last season, headlined by the returning All-MAC quartet of Mike Melaragni (6 goals, 4 assists), Daniel Nimick (3 goals, 3 assists), Brennan Creek (1 goal, 3 assists), and Pepe Martinez-Bertrand (1 goals, 2 assists).  The theme of returning experience applies between the posts as well, as Isaac Walker looks to anchor the Bronco defense following a sophomore season in which he started in all 11 games and posted a 1.37 goals against average.
 
Series Stuff: Thursday's regular season opener marks the 39th installment of the Red Line Rivalry. Loyola, which leads the all-time series by a 19-14-5 margin, is unbeaten in the last seven matchups (5-0-2) against DePaul, most recently playing to a scoreless draw in double overtime on February 21, 2021 in Loves Park, Ill.  Loyola and Western Michigan will meet for the 11th time on Sunday evening in Rogers Park, a series in which the visiting Broncos own a 6-4-0 edge in.  The two teams last met on August 24, 2018 in Kalamazoo, Mich., where the then No. 14/8 Broncos picked up a 2-0 win.
 
Up Next: Loyola faces a pair of Big Ten Conference opponents next week, hosting Northwestern on Friday, September 3 for the program's annual "Hustle to Hoyne" game before visiting Michigan on Monday, September 6.