CHICAGO (October 13, 2022) – Loyola University Chicago (5-2-4, 1-2-2 A-10) will host La Salle (3-6-4, 2-1-2 A-10) Saturday in Rogers Park as both teams look to establish a strong foothold in the Atlantic 10 standings. The match is part of Loyola's Alumni Weekend, which features home events for women's volleyball (Friday-Saturday), men's soccer (Saturday) and women's soccer (Sunday).
 
Loyola will look to keep its home unbeaten streak going when the Explorers come to town. The Ramblers are tied with two teams, Akron and Cal State Fullerton, for the 16th-best home win percentage (.917) in the country. That mark currently leads the A-10, including nationally-ranked Dayton (.900).
 
The Ramblers rank second in the A-10 for most shots per game (15.09) and shutout percentage (.545), while ranking third in assists per game (3rd/1.73), corner kicks per game (3rd/5.55), and shots on goal per game (6.91).
 
Fifth-year senior midfielder Billy Hency powers the offense, and with 22 career assists, Hency needs one more to take over sole possession of fourth place among the all-time career leaders in Loyola men's soccer history. Hency currently ranks ninth in assists (22), 13th in points (70), and 23rd in goals (24) among active NCAA Division I active career leaders.
 
Additionally, Hency leads the A-10 with three game-winning goals (4 goals total) and is ranked second in shots per game (3.18), third in shots on goal per game (1.45), third in total assists (5) and fifth in total points (13).
 
Graduate student goalkeeper Simon Jillson has registered the third-most shutouts (5) in the A-10, and he is ranked third among conference leaders in GAA (.746) and sixth in save percentage (.765).
 
Last Time Out
Loyola played to a scoreless draw against No. 16 Dayton last Saturday, posting its second shutout of a ranked opponent while remaining unbeaten at home this season. Both teams tallied 13 shots in the match, including six in the first half and seven in the second stanza. The Ramblers held a 6-4 edge in shots on goal. The result is the sixth shutout for the Ramblers, and the second clean sheet against a ranked opponent. Loyola didn't allow a corner kick for the second time this season (IUPUI).
 
Home Cookin'
Since the start of the 2018 season, the Ramblers hold a record of 26-6-5 (.770) in home matches played at Loyola Soccer Park. Going back to the 2014 season, Loyola has earned a point in 80% of the matches played in its home stadium, posting an overall record of 49-9-11. Impressively, the Ramblers went undefeated at Loyola Soccer Park in three straight seasons from 2014 to 2016 (20-0-4). With a win or draw this weekend, Loyola would tie its longest home unbeaten streak (7 games) since the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference championship season.
 
Glance at La Salle
After a 1-5-2 start to the season, La Salle enjoyed a four-match (2-0-2) unbeaten streak before suffering Tuesday's 3-1 setback to Lafayette in non-conference play. The Explorers, who are fourth in the conference standings, suffered their only loss in A-10 action against Saint Louis in the league opener (3-1). La Salle is allowing 2.08 goals per game while scoring 1.23 goals per outing, but the Explorers have netted seven of their 16 goals over the past four games. A pair of fifth-year senior forwards Nigel Buckley and Omari Cotterell, who were high school teammates out of Pickering, Ontario, lead the squad offensively. Buckley has scored a team-high five goals, while Cotterell has three goals and three assists. La Salle is under the direction of second-year manager Taylor Thames, who holds a 9-16-4 overall ledger as head coach. The Explorers were picked 11th in the A-10 Preseason Poll.
 
Series Stuff
Loyola and La Salle will meet for the fifth time on Saturday. The two teams played three times in the mid-90's as members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League).
 
            Oct. 9, 1992: W, 3-1 (away)
            Oct. 10, 1993: W, 3-0 (home)
            Oct. 14, 1994: L, 5-1 (away)
 
Loyola holds a 3-1-0 ledger in the all-time series with La Salle, including a 2-0 record in home games against the Explorers. The last meeting between these two teams occurred on Sept. 3, 2017, with the Ramblers posting a 3-1 victory at Loyola Soccer Park in the non-conference match. The Ramblers have scored three goals in all three wins in the all-time series.
 
Up Next
Loyola will close out the home portion of the regular season schedule with a pair of matches next week against Cleveland State (Wednesday, Oct. 19) and Rhode Island (Saturday, Oct. 22).