Men’s Soccer Shutdown by Saint Louis with Late Equalizer

Loyola men’s soccer tallied a 1-1 draw against Atlantic 10 (A10) conference leader Saint Louis University during the Ramblers’ senior night Oct. 25. Third-year midfielder Jack McFeely led the Ramblers with his third goal of the season to take the lead in the first half while Saint Louis graduate forward Abdoul Karim Pare led the Billikens with the equalizer in the second half.

The first half started with the Ramblers being fouled eight separate times before the 13th minute, when second-year midfielder Luka Ivancic found a clear shot on the pitch but kicked over the top of the woodwork. 

A minute later, Saint Louis found their first offensive opportunity. Second-year Billiken forward Andrew Heckenlaible broke through the Ramblers’ backline and shot to the bottom center of the net, where redshirt third-year goalkeeper Aidan Crawford made his first save.

In the 16th minute, Billiken fourth-year midfielder Draven Barnett received a red card for serious foul play after a physical altercation against second-year midfielder and forward Benji Chavarria.

The Ramblers were awarded their first corner in the 18th minute with the shot taken by McFeely, but the ball was smacked out of the way by Saint Louis’ graduate goalkeeper Jeremi Abonnel.

In the 23rd minute, second-year forward Arved Von Vegesack and second-year defender Daniel Firs were issued yellow cards, both for dissent.

Three minutes later, after a cross from McFeely, third-year forward Petar Janjic drove the ball over the top of the net. Soon after, fourth-year midfielder Ben Bischof kicked to the bottom center, where it met Abonnel.

The following 16 minutes produced no shots on goal, only four fouls on the Billikens and one to the Ramblers. By the end of the match, each team had tallied 17 fouls each.

With pressure around the net and under a minute left in the first half, Janjic crossed to first-year forward Antonio Pinto, who sent the ball to McFeely. With a drive to the bottom left, the ball slipped past the goalie, allowing the Ramblers to take the lead 1-0.

Returning from halftime, both Saint Louis and Loyola had offensive attempts within the first five minutes. Second-year Billiken forward Jackson Delkus and Pare shot for the Billikens while McFeely shot for the Ramblers — all blocked by defensive players.

Crawford made his second save of the match for the Ramblers in the 65th minute after Saint Louis’ first-year forward Theo Franca tried to score in the bottom center. Five minutes later, Franca was yellow-carded for dissent after challenging the referee. Then Franca tried again and shot to the bottom center, allowing Crawford to make another save for the Ramblers.

In the 75th minute, Firs was fouled and Pare was awarded a free kick. Following the call, Chavarria was yellow-carded for dissent after challenging the referee while Pare’s shot sailed over, brushing the top of the crossbar. 

After Saint Louis gained possession, Saint Louis’ third-year midfielder Tanner Anderson sent a quick cross to Pare, who sent a drive to the bottom right to tie the game at one in the 83rd minute.

A minute later, Bischof held the ball and kicked to the bottom center, where Abonnel made the save. Pare attempted his final shot two minutes later, but it flew out wide on the left.

The final minutes of the match produced a yellow card issued to Delkus, but no other offensive opportunities broke through defensive lines.

Following the match where both teams held strong defensively, head coach Steve Bode reflected on the team’s performance in the second half after the Billikens tied, making it anyone’s game.

“It’s almost like a balance of you want to try to go and get the second goal and push, but you also don’t want to give up a goal,” Bode said. “So, it was just, it was a scrappy game, there was a lot of fouls, almost 40 fouls in this game. It was a bit of a dog fight overall.”

The Ramblers will travel to Ohio, where they will play their final regular season match against the University of Dayton Nov. 1. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be live-streamed on ESPN+.