Red Line Rivalry Leads to Men’s Soccer’s First Loss

Loyola Men’s soccer suffered its first loss of the season Sept. 7 during the annual Red Line Rivalry against DePaul University, who won the match 2-1. First-year forward Antonio Pinto led the Ramblers with his third collegiate goal, and redshirt third-year defender Christian Baumgartner and third-year midfielder Noeh Hernandez led as goalscorers for DePaul.  

Head coach Steve Bode said Loyola was quick to find offensive advantage but failed to capitalize on their opportunities, leading to their loss.

“I thought we started the game really well,” Bode said. “In the first 15 minutes, we came out strong and even created a good chance for Hugo [Urdiales] that went just over the bar. If that goes in, the momentum in a rivalry game like this is completely different. 

The Ramblers were first to find an early offensive opportunity when third-year forward Petar Janjic took a shot on goal, but the Blue Demons’ fifth-year goalkeeper Santiago Davila blocked the attempt in the fifth minute.

After a Ramblers corner kick, Loyola’s third-year goalkeeper Gabe Velasco kept the Blue Demons from scoring after second-year forward Daniel Hickiewicz aimed for the goal.

In the 10th minute, Loyola made consecutive shots at the net as Pinto and fourth-year forward Hugo Urdiales were set up for scoring opportunities. Both kicked off target.

Following an unsuccessful attempt by Blue Demons’ second-year midfielder Joon Han, Baumgartner regained possession of the ball and scored the first goal in the top left, allowing DePaul to take the first lead of the match 1-0 in the 16th minute.

Five minutes later, DePaul widened their lead to 2-0 after second-year forward Jayden Waski ran the ball down the field and passed to Hernandez, who scored.

Second-year midfielder Luka Ivancic was next to shoot for the Ramblers in the 24th minute, but the ball went out top left.

In the next seven minutes, shots were traded by the Blue Demons’ graduate midfielder Callum Watts, Hickiewicz, the Rambler’s third-year midfielder Jack McFeely and Janjic. All proved to be unsuccessful as Davila made the save on Janjic’s shot and the others missed over the top of the net.

No other attempts were made at the goal, and the first half ended with the Ramblers’ fourth-year midfielder Ben Bischof, Janjic and Blue Demons’ fourth-year defender Ryan Thomas receiving fouls.

The second half began with DePaul finding an early advantage six minutes in. Thomas took a shot at the goal, but Velasco made the save for Loyola.

In the 52nd minute, McFeely received a yellow card — the first and only card either team saw in the match. Seconds later, the Blue Demons’ second-year midfielder Evan Jimerson shot for the bottom center of the net, but Velasco stopped the score.

Despite an unsuccessful shot from redshirt second-year defender Ameer Abdullah, the Ramblers received a corner kick for their efforts in the 55th minute. Following the corner, Urdiales proceeded to take a shot at the top of the net, but the Blue Demons’ goalkeeper kept the ball from entering. The Ramblers were then awarded another chance at a corner kick.

In the 58th minute, the Ramblers capitalized on an offensive advantage when second-year forward Arved von Vegesack and Ivancic set up a play for Pinto, who scored to give the Ramblers a fighting chance at 2-1.

In the following 10 minutes of play, DePaul tried again for the goal when Thomas made a shot off target. Bischof matched the unsuccessful attempt as Davila made the save to keep the Blue Demons ahead.

Velasco made another save for the Ramblers in the 72nd minute when Hernandez kicked to the bottom left of the net, where the ball met Loyola’s goalkeeper.

Another unsuccessful attempt at the goal by DePaul’s Hickiewicz resulted in a corner kick for the Blue Demons, which came up empty.

In the 85th minute, third-year forward Keagan Pace kicked to the bottom center of the net, but Velasco was quick to make the catch, preventing what would be DePaul’s last offensive opportunity.

With under two minutes left in the match, Urdiales tried in a last-minute attempt to score for the Ramblers. He shot for the bottom center of the net but was unsuccessful as Davila made the save for the Blue Demons, leading to the end of the match and a win for DePaul 2-1.  

The Ramblers will travel to Edwardsville, Ill., where they will face off against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Sept. 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be live-streamed on ESPN+.