CHICAGO (November 7, 2022) — The fourth-seeded Loyola University Chicago (8-2-6) men's soccer team will travel to Pittsburgh for Wednesday night's Atlantic 10 Championship semifinal matchup against the No. 2 seed Duquesne (11-3-4) in a battle of strong defensive teams. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT at Rooney Field with the game airing live on ESPN+.
 
Loyola advanced to its fifth straight conference tournament semifinal after defeating fifth-seeded George Washington 1-0 last Saturday, marking the first postseason win for head coach Steve Bode. Senior Oscar Dueso scored the game-winner in the 28th minute as the Ramblers remained undefeated at home (7-0-3), while pitching their seventh clean sheet of the season.
 
The Ramblers are unbeaten over their last seven matches (3-0-4), its longest stretch without a loss since 2019 – when Loyola won the MVC title. With a win on Wednesday, Loyola would earn a berth to a conference championship match for the fourth time in five seasons. The Ramblers reached the MVC championship in 2018, 2019 and 2021 spring.
 
Making its second trip to the Steel City this season, Loyola gets a rematch against Duquesne after the Dukes edged out the Ramblers 2-1 back on Sept. 17. It was the first of just two setbacks for the Ramblers this season, with both occurring on the road, despite outpacing the Dukes 9-4 in shots on goal. Andrew Schweinert scored the Ramblers' goal in the last meeting between the two teams. Duquesne holds the slight edge in the all-time series (1-0-1).
 
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 finished the regular season leading the A-10 in points per game (1.36), totaling 21 points in 15 matches with seven goals and seven assists. He was 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 (6-2-14), 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 registered the third-most shutouts (5) in the A-10 and ranks third among conference leaders in GAA (.891).
 
Glance at Duquesne
Similar to Loyola, Duquesne has not fallen in a home match this season (6-0-2) with all three of its losses suffered on the road. The Dukes overcame a 1-0 deficit last Saturday to prevent a second straight defeat against La Salle, taking down the Explorers with a pair of goals from Zach Mowka including the game-winner in the 83rd minute. Freshman midfielder Ask Ekeland leads the Dukes with 17 points on a team-high eight goals and one assist. Sophomore striker Maxi Hopfer has 14 points with five goals and four assists. Graduate student goalkeeper Domenic Nascimben.
 
Up Next
The winner advances to the A-10 Championship game, which is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 13 on the campus of the highest remaining seed.