CHICAGO (September 22, 2022) – Loyola University Chicago (4-1-2, 0-1-0 A-10) will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season when George Washington (4-2-2, 1-0-0 A-10) visits Loyola Soccer Park during Family Weekend. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Saturday in the Ramblers' first conference home match as a member of the Atlantic 10. The game also serves as the first-ever meeting between the two teams and will air live on ESPN Plus, as the Ramblers seek their fifth straight home victory. The first 150 students in attendance will receive a free Loyola Hawaiian shirt.
 
Last Time Out
Saturday's A-10 opener was a heartbreaker as Duquesne used a miraculous, long-distance goal to nip Loyola in a 2-1 decision. Both teams entered the matchup undefeated and ranked fifth nationally in goals against average, but the scoring started early as each side netted a goal within the opening 10 minutes. DU got on the board first with a header goal in the third minute, and Loyola answered on Andrew Schweinert's first goal off a Julian Cisneros assist in the ninth minute. The Ramblers outshot the Dukes, but the hosts connected on the long-range goal in the 57th minute and held on the rest of the way. Loyola goalkeeper Simon Jillson tallied two saves while Cisneros led with three shots on frame.
 
Starting Off Strong
Despite the tough result in Pittsburgh last weekend, Loyola has still produced one of the best starts in program history. With an overall ledger of 4-1-2, the Ramblers are currently tied for the program's second-best record through the opening seven games of a season, matching the same record as the 2003 Loyola squad. The only time Loyola notched a higher win percentage across its first seven games occurred in the 2016 campaign, when the Ramblers rattled off seven wins a row and made a run to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Home Cookin'
Loyola Soccer Park has become a challenging place to play for men's soccer opponents over recent years. Since the start of the 2018 season, the Ramblers hold a record of 25-6-4 (.771) 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 48-9-10. Impressively, the Ramblers went undefeated at Loyola Soccer Park in three straight seasons from 2014 to 2016 (20-0-4). Saturday afternoon, Loyola will seek its fifth straight home win, tying the Ramblers' longest streak since winning five home matches in a row last season.
 
Notable Numbers
Loyola enters the next match holding a plus-seven goal differential, ranking as the fourth-best margin in the Atlantic 10. The Ramblers have outscored their opponents by a combined total of 11-4 on the season. Billy Hency is leading the way with nine points, including three goals and three assists, followed by John Gates with five points on one goal and three assists. Seven different players have scored a goal for the Ramblers this season. Hency moved into fifth place in the Loyola record book for most career assists (20) and needs three more to take over sole possession of fourth place. The redshirt senior ranks 13th among active NCAA Division I career leaders in assists, 14th in points (66) and 20th in goals (23). In goal, Jillson is tied for the conference lead in shutouts (4), and he is ranked second among conference leaders in GAA (.583) and fourth in save percentage (.765).
 
Glance at George Washington
After posting a 5-0 win over Howard on Wednesday, George Washington will enter the Saturday tilt at 4-2-2 overall under 11th-year head coach Craig Jones. GW defeated Davidson 1-0 last Saturday to open conference play after being picked to finish 12th in the A-10 Preseason Poll. Graduate student Oscar Haynes Brown, who is a three-time all-conference performer, leads the conference with 11 points and five goals. Senior Tom Cooklin ranks third in the A-10 with four assists, and senior goalkeeper Justin Grady has registered a 72.7 save percentage in seven starts. Grady was voted to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team. GW has wins over Manhattan (4-2), Columbia (2-1), Davidson (1-0) and Howard (5-0), and tied with Navy (3-3) and William & Mary (2-2).
 
Series Stuff
Saturday's match will be the first time that the Loyola and George Washington men's soccer teams meet on the soccer field. The only sport in which the newly established conference opponents have ever faced one another is men's basketball, where Loyola holds a 3-2 all-time series lead. Interestingly, the Loyola women's volleyball and women's soccer teams both travel to the nation's capital to play George Washington this weekend.
 
Up Next
Loyola opens a stretch of back-to-back road games when it travels to reigning A-10 champion Saint Louis for a 7 p.m. match on Saturday, Oct. 1.