CHICAGO (October 17, 2022) – The homestand rolls on this week as the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team (6-2-4) steps out of conference for Wednesday's matchup against Cleveland State (9-2-2). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT at Loyola Soccer Park with the match airing live on ESPN Plus.
 
Coming off Saturday's thrilling 4-2 win over La Salle, Loyola will once again put its home unbeaten streak to the test.
 
The Ramblers are 6-0-1 on their home pitch this fall, marking the 13th-best home winning percentage (.929) in the country and best in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Since 2018, the Ramblers have registered an impressive record of 27-6-5 (.776) in home games played at Loyola Soccer Park.
 
Entering the week, Loyola ranks second in the A-10 in several categories, including most shots per game (15.67), assists (23), assists per game (1.92) and shutouts (6). The Ramblers are ranked third in fewest goals allowed (10) and goals against average (0.83).

Fifth-year senior midfielder Billy Hency leads the way with a team-high 16 points on five goals and six assists. He's currently tied for second in the A-10 in points with Davidson's Denis Krioutchenkov, and just two points shy of the league leader Alec Hughes of UMass. The Fenton, Mo. native is also tied with Saint Louis' John Klein for the conference lead in multiple-point games (4).
 
Among NCAA Division I active career leaders, Hency ranks seventh in assists (23), 12th in points (73) and 21st in goals (25). With his assist on Saturday, Hency took sole possession of fourth place for most career assists at Loyola.
 
Seniors Oscar Dueso (4-1-9), Fabian Becerra (3-1-7) and Alex Moskal (3-0-6), along with sophomore John Gates (2-4-8), have all scored multiple goals for the Ramblers this season. 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 (.780) and sixth in save percentage (.750).
 
Last Time Out
Moskal recorded his first career brace with two goals in the second half, while Hency logged three points with one goal and one assist, to lead Loyola in a 4-2 victory over La Salle on Alumni Day at Loyola Soccer Park. Loyola dominated possession from the start, pouncing the Explorers with 15 shots on goal and 22 total shots overall.
 
It was the third match this season where the Ramblers scored four goals – all home games – as the Ramblers have outscored opponents by a combined margin of 14-4 on the home pitch. Loyola tied its season high with six players recording at least one point.
 
Glance at Cleveland State
Cleveland State had its five-match win streak snapped following a 2-1 setback at Northern Kentucky last Saturday. The Vikings will play the second of three consecutive road games when they visit Rogers Park. Senior midfielder Pablo Kawecki and junior forward Bojan Kolevski each lead the team with 17 points on seven goals and three assists. As a team, the Vikings are averaging 2.00 goals per game and 14.5 shots per game as the highest-scoring offense in the Horizon League. Senior goalkeeper Omeed Naeemy has posted a .771 save percentage with a 6-1-2 overall record, including five shutouts. The Vikings are led by fourth-year coach Sinisa Ubiparipovic.
 
Series Stuff
Loyola and Cleveland State will meet for the 24th time in the all-time series between the former Horizon League rivals, and the first meeting since 2018 when the Ramblers edged the Vikings 1-0 at home. Loyola's Fabian Becerra notched his first collegiate point with the assist in the most recent matchup. The Ramblers carry the all-time series lead 14-9, including an 8-3 record in home games against the Vikings.
 
Up Next
Loyola will close out the home portion of the regular season schedule against Rhode Island on Senior Day this Saturday, Oct. 22 (3 p.m. CT).