CHICAGO (November 3, 2022) – After closing the regular season with a six-game unbeaten streak and winning a three-way tiebreaker in the conference table, Loyola University Chicago (7-2-6) earned the fourth seed and will host fifth-seeded George Washington (8-8-2) for Saturday's 3 p.m. quarterfinal match in the 2022 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship. The Ramblers will make their 13th consecutive postseason appearance after qualifying for the A-10 Championship during its inaugural season in the league.
 
It'll be the second meeting between the two teams this year in Rogers Park. Loyola posted a clean sheet victory over George Washington in a 4-0 final on Sept. 24, which marked the Ramblers' first victory as a member of the A-10.

The Ramblers are an impressive 27-6-7 (.763) at Loyola Soccer Park since the start of the 2018 campaign. Loyola will be hosting a postseason match for the first time since winning the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
 
Under first-year head coach Steve Bode, Loyola finished undefeated in nine home matches (6-0-3) during the 2022 regular season which included four clean sheets, a win over nationally ranked Bowling Green, and a scoreless draw with nationally ranked Dayton.
 
The Ramblers outscored opponents by a combined 20-6 margin on the home pitch, averaging 15.9 shots per game while allowing 7.8 shots per contest.
 
Loyola is ranked sixth nationally in shots on goal per game (7.53), 11th in total shots per game (15.93) and 25th in shot accuracy (.473). On defense, the Ramblers rank 30th in goals against average (.933).

Fifth-year senior midfielder Billy Hency leads the A-10 in points per game (1.36), totaling 21 points in 15 matches with seven goals and seven assists. He's also tied with Saint Louis' John Klein for the conference lead in multiple-point games (4). Hency has tallied 17 of his 21 total points this season in home games.
 
Among NCAA Division I active career leaders, Hency ranks eighth in assists (24), ninth in points (78) and 21st in goals (27). With his next assist, Hency will take over sole possession of third place in Loyola men's soccer career history.
 
Seniors Oscar Dueso (5-2-12), Fabian Becerra (3-1-7) and Alex Moskal (3-0-6), along with sophomore John Gates (2-4-8) and senior Marc Torrellas (2-1-5), 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 (.891).
 
Glance at George Washington
George Washington won three of its last four A-10 matches to clinch a spot in the postseason tournament, including a 3-0 victory at George Mason in the regular season finale. The Colonials rank third in the conference in total goals (32), led by Oscar Haynes Brown and Elias Norris who both have seven, but George Washington was outscored by league opponents 11-10 in eight conference matches. Goalkeeper Justin Grady is 7-7-1 in net with 1.64 goals against average and 70.7 save percentage. The Colonials are making their first postseason appearance since the 2021 covid spring season.
 
Series Stuff
The only previous meeting between Loyola and George Washington occurred back on Sept. 24, with the Ramblers running out to a 4-0 victory. It was the largest shutout for Loyola over a league opponent in six years. With a 20-6 shot advantage, the Ramblers scored twice in each half with goals from Hency, Gates, Becerra and Moskal.
 
Up Next
The eight-team, single-elimination tournament begins Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5 with on-campus quarterfinals action, all streamed live via ESPN+.
 
Following the conclusion of quarterfinals, pairings will be re-seeded heading into the semifinal round.
 
The winner of the Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Championship will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which opens Thursday, Nov. 17.