CHICAGO (Aug. 27, 2023) – Nearly 1,000 fans packed in Loyola Soccer Park to witness the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team notch a season-opening 2-0 win over Lindenwood Sunday afternoon.
Markus Maurer scored in the 59
th minute and
Benni Hofmann doubled the Ramblers' advantage with his 63
rd minute goal as Loyola celebrated its ninth-annual "Hustle to Hoyne" with a win.
"It's something we look forward to every year. It's a big moment for our team, for our players, because they know that it's going to be a great crowd and they know that at the end of the day, the spirit of the game is going to be electrified by the group and the crowd that was behind us," said Loyola head coach
Steve Bode on the atmosphere at Hustle to Hoyne. "I think at the end of the day, it helped us a lot in this game where we struggled to find the back of the net in the first half, but the crowd kept pulling us through and we got that goal we needed. Then, we kept going from there,"
How It Happened
In the first-ever meeting between the two teams, the Ramblers tested the Lions early and often, firing off 10 first half shots. Meanwhile, the Loyola Chicago defensive line held Lindenwood to just one shot in the first frame. LUC was rewarded with six corners for its aggression on the attack, but Lindenwood stayed stout between the posts.
Although neither team scored in the first 45 minutes of play, the action quickly picked up in the second half as
Jason Ybarra had a chance on-goal just 10 minutes into the frame, but his attempt was saved by Lindenwood keeper Enzo Gil.
However, just three minutes later, Maurer scored the Ramblers' first goal of 2023 in the 59
th minute. Maurer, positioned perfectly in the box, received the ball from teammate
Oscar Dueso's head after
Lukas Ender rifled the ball into the box.
With a 1-0 lead, Loyola didn't slow down. A few moments later, a scramble in the box led Hofmann, in his first game back since his season-ending injury in 2022, to a beautiful left-footed strike to the top right corner of the goal to give LUC a 2-0 advantage.
With 27 minutes left in the match, the Loyola defensive corps fended off six shots to keep the Lions in the cage and secure its first win of the year.
"I just want to thank the fans. Big thanks to the fans for coming out. It makes such a big difference for our players to play in front of the crowd like this. They enjoy it. It makes it an electric atmosphere and it helped us get the win."
Notes
- The Ramblers blasted off 19 shots (seven on-target) compared to the Lions' eight (two on-target)
- Loyola logged 10 corner kicks while Lindenwood had two.
- Keeper Lucas Daunhauer notched the first save of his Rambler career in the 87th minute.
- Maurer's goal was the first of his Loyola career.
- Hofmann's goal was his third in a Rambler uniform.
- Ender recorded his fourth career assist.
- Dueso's assist was his 10th as a Rambler.
Up Next
Loyola Chicago returns to the pitch this Friday (Sept. 1) as it takes on Cleveland State at 5 p.m. CT on the road. The match will broadcast live to ESPN+.