CHICAGO - Loyola Chicago and Wright State played to a 2-2 draw Thursday night at Loyola Soccer Park. Angel Mendez's first goal of the season and Daniel Firs' second-ever helped the Ramblers log the tie.
Loyola now moves to 1-0-3 on the season.
"Chaotic affair for sure," Loyola head coach Steve Bode said. "Two red cards, a lot of stoppages with video review — it was a pretty choppy game. Overall, it was an average performance for us. The guys were disappointed. Scoring that goal in the first half and going one up, the idea at halftime was to regroup and, with the man up, take advantage of that as much as possible. We did that at times, but not enough. If we lose 2-1, it feels a lot worse. The fact that we were able to pick up the draw, that's something."
How it Happened
Mendez put Loyola on the board in the 37th minute with his first goal of the season, assisted by Arved von Vegesack.
Wright State pulled even in the 71st minute after a Loyola own goal. The Raiders then took a brief lead when Henry Hutchinson and Brian Burkett—providing the assist—connected in the 83nd minute.
The Ramblers answered just one minute later when Firs scored his first collegiate goal off assists from Jack McFeely and Joaquin Rodriguez Ortiz, securing the 2-2 result.
Game Notes
- Goalkeeper Aidan Crawford made two saves on 10 Wright State shots in his first start of the season.
- Rodriguez earned his first assist and point wearing the Maroon and Gold. His two shots were a career-high as well.
- McFeely's third assist of the season ranks him tied for third in the Atlantic 10.
- Benji Chavarria tallied a career-high in shots with four, a game-high.
- The Ramblers finished with five shots on-goal. Their 14 total were the team's third most in a game in 2025.
Up Next
Loyola faces DePaul in the Red Line Rivalry this Sunday (Sept. 7). Kick from Wish Field is set for 4 p.m.
