Women’s Soccer Prevails Against Purdue 1-0 in First Win Over a Big Ten School

Loyola Women’s soccer took a 1-0 win against Purdue University at Hoyne Field Aug. 31. The stands were full of fans supporting the team over the Labor Day weekend to Pack the Park, marking the first home win of the season and first-ever win against Purdue.

The match began with a corner kick by Purdue, but their offensive attempt after the corner was shut down by redshirt second-year goalkeeper Allison Deardorff, catching the ball. 

In the third minute, third-year forward Jadyn Harris was fouled, giving Loyola a free kick near the corner of Purdue’s goalie box. Against the Boilermakers’ wall, second-year midfielder Lydia Case took the kick, which bounced off a Loyola player and was caught by third-year goalkeeper Emily Edwards. 

A minute later, Loyola had their first corner kick of the game, and the ball bounced off a Ramblers’ head into Edwards’ hands.

In the 12th minute, second-year defender Emilia Deppe attempted a shot from outside Loyola’s box, but after a bounce, Deardorff caught the ball. A minute later, Loyola had another corner, inducing anticipation as it bounced from head to head of the players. After deflecting off the crossbar, the ball was secured by Edwards. 

In the 16th minute, Loyola gained a free kick 10 feet from Purdue’s box, where Case shot the ball directly into the hands of Edwards.

After an attempted cross by graduate midfielder and forward Mia Lanni in the 25th minute, the ball was deflected off a Purdue defender and out, awarding another Rambler corner. Case took the kick, but it landed out of play. 

An intense moment in the 30th minute came after an on-target shot by redshirt second-year forward Emily Rossi near the crossbar of Purdue’s goal. The ball was then deflected off Edwards’ hands and out, resulting in a Rambler corner kick, which was kicked up by Purdue’s defense. 

With seven minutes left in the half, Purdue had a corner. It was played short, but after being shot towards the goal, it was caught by Deardorff. She attempted to kick it out, but a Purdue player intercepted it, resulting in a free kick for Loyola because of a foul. 

With a minute remaining, fourth-year midfielder and forward Angelina Perritano attempted a shot following a Loyola throw-in, but the ball missed the goal and flew out of bounds. 

The first half ended with Loyola dominating despite the scoreless tie, with the Ramblers leading with 10 shots to the Boilermakers’one. 

The second half began with two consecutive Purdue corners after the first was deflected by Loyola’s defense and hit out of bounds, and the second one was booted up by Purdue defense.  

The 50th minute of the game was a rollercoaster of reviews. Third-year forward Zoe Hevey was dribbling down the pitch, and after a quick cross to fourth-year forward Molly Pistorius, she shot the ball into Purdue’s net with a header. 

After Loyola’s celebration, the goal deliberated to decide if it was offside. A couple minutes later, the goal was declared true, meaning Loyola was up 1-0 against Purdue. Shortly after, the goal was overturned by the officials, keeping the match at a 0-0 tie. 

Head coach Jon Sandoval commented on the feeling of that moment. 

“It’s a gut punch,” Sandoval said. “It’s always a difficult moment when the game is taken away from you. They deserved to win today.” 

After the debacle, the Ramblers’ coach’s bench was given a yellow card for exclaiming their disagreement. 

Another yellow card was called in the 59th minute against Purdue’s third-year midfielder Megan Santa Cruz after colliding with a Loyola player. Another foul was called against Purdue in the 62nd minute after fourth-year defender Emily Roberts walked off the field limping and subbing out. 

A third yellow card was given in the 72nd minute of play against second-year defender Catherine Cline, giving the Boilermakers a free kick near the corner of Loyola’s box, which was hit out by the Ramblers.

Another foul was called against Purdue a minute later after Harris was pushed to the ground. With 16 minutes left in the game, Harris attempted a shot, but Edwards deflected it off her hands, causing the ball to go out of bounds, giving the Ramblers a corner kick. After headers from both sides, the ball was booted up the pitch. 

Shortly after, Rossi was dribbling down with only one Purdue defender on her and shot from within the box. The ball went in the center of the goal and was caught by Edwards. 

In the 82nd minute, Purdue fourth-year forward Angelina Thoreson was called offside after attempting to receive a through ball from her defenders. 

In the final minute of the game came Loyola’s moment. After 89 minutes of scoreless play, Hevey ran down the line on Purdue’s half and shot a cross to third-year midfielder Ansley Cryan, who shot it straight into the net.

The final minute’s goal caused Rambler fans to jump up in the stands for Loyola’s last-second heroics.

The end of the match awarded Loyola their first win over a Big Ten team in history, leading the game with 19 shots. 

“Adversity came to us in that second half,” Sandoval said. “They met that challenge head-on. I couldn’t be prouder of the response and the overall performance. It’s important that we don’t allow the highs to get too high. Now it’s okay to celebrate, but on Tuesday we’ve got to get back to work.” 

The Ramblers’ next match takes on Illinois State Sept. 7 with a 1 p.m. kick-off. Streaming details have yet to be announced.