ANN ARBOR, Mich. (September 6, 2021)
In Short…
Freshman
John Gates scored his second goal of the season, but two second-half tallies from Michigan (2-1-1) lifted the host Wolverines to a 2-1 victory over the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team (2-2-0) this afternoon at the U-M Soccer Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Head Coach Neil Jones' Thoughts...
"We're disappointed with the result, and that we couldn't put a full performance together today. A lot of credit must go to Michigan though, who are a quality team and program. We're looking forward to getting back home and hosting Western Illinois on Saturday night."
How It Happened
After both teams exchanged corner kicks in the early stages, graduate student goalkeeper
Marcel Kampman was called into action in the 11
th minute, leaping to tip Bryce Blevins' left-footed free kick over the bar.
Just 88 seconds after Kampman's stop, Loyola struck on the counterattack. Junior
Oscar Dueso sent an arching feed in the direction of a sprinting Gates, who split a pair of Wolverine defenders before calmly depositing his try in at the far post from 12 yards out, giving the Ramblers a 1-0 lead.
Junior
Marc Torrellas had his sights set on doubling the lead just past the half-hour mark, unleashing a one-timer from the edge of the 18-yard box that was turned away by Michigan goalkeeper Hayden Evans. Loyola survived a brief scare in the 44
th minute, as Uriel Zeitz worked his way into the box with space, only to fire well wide of goal as the Ramblers took a 1-0 edge into halftime.
Michigan opened the second half with a flurry, with Marc Ybarra, Jason Bucknor, and Zeitz all firing off target inside the first five minutes. The Wolverines netted their equalizer from the penalty spot in the 59
th minute when Ybarra slotted home following a Rambler foul in the box, knotting things up at 1-1.
After seeing Zeitz strike the crossbar in the 65
th minute, Michigan took the lead only three minutes later. Inaki Rodriguez maneuvered just inside the penalty area before tucking his blast inside the far post to give the hosts a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish.
Looking At The Numbers
- Gates continued the great start to his freshman season this afternoon, tallying his second goal in four games. He currently ranks second on the Rambler roster in overall points (5).
- Dueso was credited with his team-best second assist of the year on Gates' opener.
- After outshooting the Wolverines by a 4-2 margin in the opening 45 minutes, Loyola was held without an attempt during the second half.
Up Next
Loyola returns home on Saturday, September 11 to host in-state rival Western Illinois in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Loyola Soccer Park.
