LEADING OFF
Loyola University Chicago (8-2-5, 3-0-4 A-10) gears up to host UMass in its penultimate home match on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 1 p.m.
QUICK KICKS
- As of Friday, Oct. 18, Loyola is No. 4 in the Atlantic 10 standings behind No. 3 Fordham, No. 2 Saint Louis and No. 1 Dayton.
- Allison Deardorff is the league's leader in saves (63) and shutouts per game (9). She ranks second in goals against average (.600).
- Defender Alaina Abel is on an active 2,880-minute streak playing the full 90 in the last 32 consecutive matches.
- The Ramblers' undefeated home record, 7-0-1, is their best since going 6-0-2 in 2021. They will look to defend their turf this Sunday against the Minutewomen.
SCOUTING UMASS MINUTEWOMEN
UMass is 9-4-2 overall and 4-2-1 in A-10 play, picking up four consecutive conference wins over St. Bonaventure, Fordham, Rhode Island and George Washington. The Minutewomen's two A-10 losses were against Saint Louis and Dayton, each by just one goal.
MINUTEWOMEN TO WATCH
- Senior midfielder Bella Recinos leads the team in points (18) with eight goals and two assists, and in shots/shots on goal (35/19 SOG). She's started in every single match so far this season, accumulating the second-most minutes (1,213) of any field player. Last year, Recinos raked in a number of accolades: A-10 Midfielder of the Year, A-10 All-Conference First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-East Second Team and ECAC Division I Women's Soccer All-ECAC First Team.
- Another key component to UMass' midfield is graduate student Ella Curry. Curry, a consistent starter, has notched three goals and three assists for six points so far this year. She was named the A-10 Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30 after scoring the Minutewomen's initial goal against Rhode Island then assisted on the game-winner.
- Redshirt senior goalkeeper Bella Mendoza has six shutouts, fourth in the A-10, and 49 saves on the season with a 1.13 goals-against average, ranking ninth in the league. She was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9 after securing back-to-back shutouts.
SERIES HISTORY
The series is even, 1-1, between Loyola and UMass. The programs met for the first time in 2022, a 2-1 victory for the Ramblers, and most recently in 2023 when the Minutewomen won 4-1.
