Loyola Women’s soccer took on Marquette University on their turf in Milwaukee Sept. 14. The game ended in a tie for the first-ever draw between the teams. They hadn’t met since 2014 and Loyola hadn’t secured a goal against the Golden Eagles since 1992.
This was the team’s third consecutive away game and third match in seven days. Head coach Jon Sandoval commented on how their scores have felt on the road thus far.
“Tonight was a grind, and that’s how the [Atlantic 10] is,” Sandoval said. “Being undefeated on the road so far is impressive.”
The game started with a foul on third-year forward Zoe Hevey in the third minute. Two minutes later, Golden Eagle second-year forward Megan Murray had a shot which went just over the goal.
The Ramblers’ success came very early in the game. Fourth-year forward Molly Pistorius received a pass from Hevey and shot the ball into the back of the net. This was Pistorius’ second goal of the season and the second time the pair have worked together on a goal this year.
The next 20 minutes of the game consisted of eight fouls — three on Marquette and five on Loyola — including three from third-year forward Jadyn Harris, who added a shot that went over the top left of the goal.
The 26th minute included a corner kick for the Ramblers, but nothing resulted from it. Harris was then given a yellow card six minutes later for fouling a Golden Eagle.
Another yellow card was given to first-year defender Abby Sudkamp after fouling a Golden Eagle. One minute later, fourth-year midfielder and forward Angelina Perritano had a shot headed to the bottom center of the goal before it was blocked by Marquette defenders to end the first half.
Five minutes into the second half, Harris took a shot, but the ball went over the goal. The next two minutes included two fouls on graduate midfielder and forward Mia Lanni.
In the 56th minute, the Golden Eagles were awarded a corner kick. First-year defender Meg Decker took a shot against Loyola, but it went past the right side of the net. Three minutes later, fourth-year midfielder Cate Downs shot left past Loyola’s goal.
The Golden Eagles gained another corner kick in the 65th minute, but nothing came from it.
The 70th minute consisted of two shots by Marquette, one of which was saved by redshirt second-year Allison Deardorff when it was headed to the bottom center by second-year forward — and former Rambler — Jocelyn Leigh.
Leigh managed to secure a goal and stage a comeback in the 74th minute of play with a header. She was assisted by first-year defenders Clare Shea and Meg Decker. The playing field became even, and remained that way for the rest of the game.
In the 81st minute, Loyola had another corner kick, but the ball was booted up the field by Golden Eagle defenders. Marquette had two shots within a minute of each other by third-year midfielder Ella McAleenan and Leigh. Marquette was called offside in the 86th minute, and the game ended soon after.
By the end of the game, Loyola had eight shots to Marquette’s 11. Three of those were shots on goal, while Marquette had four. There were a total of 36 fouls called — 20 on Loyola and 16 on Marquette. Deardorff had three saves to lead the game.
The Ramblers’ 5-1-2 record this year is their best start to the season since 2022’s 4-2-2 opening record
“Overall, I think it’s a fair result,” Sandoval said. “We had our chances, and Marquette had theirs. We battled hard, but weren’t clinical and decisive enough to win.”
The team returns home to Hoyne Field to butt heads with Fordham University Sept. 21 with a 1 p.m. kick-off. Streaming details have yet to be announced.
