PEORIA, Ill. (September 29, 2021)
In Short…
The Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team turned in a comprehensive showing as it rolled to a 3-0 win over Bradley (2-6-0, 1-2-0 MVC) this evening at Shea Stadium in Peoria, Ill. Tonight's results sees the Ramblers, who are unbeaten in their last four games, move to 5-2-1 (2-0-1 MVC).
Head Coach Neil Jones' Thoughts…
"Tonight was a very professional performance against a difficult opponent on the road. We put in a good shift in all phases of the game, and it was good enough to get the three points. Now we must move on to an SIUE team that has a lot of quality back home on Sunday."
How It Happened
After a feeling out process in the opening stages, redshirt junior
Michael Hong turned in the night's first big effort in the 11
th minute, stepping in to block Danny Collins' breakaway opportunity and deny an attempt on target. Just under 10 minutes later, junior
Oscar Dueso made a bid to get Loyola on the board, but sent his headed try just over the crossbar.
Slowly but surely, the Ramblers began to take hold of the game, ultimately breaking through in the 34
th minute. Junior
Marc Torrellas lofted a cross to the right of the penalty spot that connected with fellow junior
Alex Moskal, who fought off a defender to head up and over Bradley goalkeeper Bryce Logan, giving the Maroon & Gold a 1-0 lead they would carry into halftime.
Loyola wasted no time in heaping on pressure coming out of the break. Sophomore
Julian Cisneros looked to have added a second for the Ramblers in the 51
st minute, only to see his header cleared off the line by a Braves' defender. It proved only to be a matter of time though for Cisneros, as he directed home a feed from senior
Billy Hency one minute later to double Loyola's advantage, 2-0.
The Ramblers continued to attack the Bradley net at will, forcing Logan into multiple strong saves as time ticked away in the second half. Senior
Fabian Becerra extinguished any remaining hopes for a comeback by the hosts in the 70
th minute, unleashing a blast from 15 yards out that pushed the margin to 3-0 as Loyola posted its third shutout in its last four games.
Looking At The Numbers
- Following tonight's result, Loyola is now 25-0-1 (.981) when scoring at least two goals since the start of the 2018 season.
- Moskal and Cisneros each tallied their first goals of 2021 this evening, becoming the eighth and ninth different Ramblers to find the back of the net this season.
- Hency was credited with assists on the Maroon & Gold's first two tallies, while Torrellas and sophomore
Lukas Ender each picked up an assist on the evening as well.
- Loyola turned in a sparkling defensive effort, outshooting the Braves by a 16-4 margin while not allowing the hosts a shot on goal.
Up Next
Loyola returns home on Sunday, October 3 to host SIUE in a 2 p.m. kickoff at Loyola Soccer Park.
