Women’s Soccer Can’t Find Victory Against La Salle in 3-3 Draw

Loyola women’s soccer came to a 3-3 draw against La Salle University Oct. 6. Graduate midfielder and forward Mia Lanni and third-year midfielder Maggie Schmidt scored for the Ramblers while Explorers’ first-year forward Kayden Williams, second-year forward and midfielder Alexis Garcia and fourth-year forward Justyce Hollenbach scored for La Salle. 

The match started with a corner for Loyola in the fourth minute, resulting in a shot by Lanni from the left side of the net, which landed in the back of the net, bringing the Ramblers to an early 1-0 lead. 

Following a foul on La Salle’s second-year defender Sienna Mount in the seventh minute, first-year defender Abby Sudkamp was called for a foul and Schmidt was called for two. A shot by Explorer’s second-year defender and midfielder Taylor Jourdanais soared over the crossbar in the 15th minute. 

A corner for Loyola was awarded in the 19th minute, but the shot was headed out by the Explorers. One minute later, Sudkamp took a shot which a group of La Salle defenders saved. It was kicked into third-year forward Zoe Hevey’s possession, but her shot was scooped up by La Salle’s fourth-year goalkeeper Mackenna Yaracs. 

Another corner for Loyola in the 22nd minute resulted in a shot by Schmidt at the left side of the net, which hit off the right post and into the net, extending the Rambler lead to 2-1. After fouls on Explorer’s graduate defender and midfielder Jillian Drumm and Schmidt, fourth-year midfielder and forward Angelina Perritano missed a shot on goal. Fourth-year forward Meghan Economos’ shot was blocked by Yaracs.

A foul on first-year forward Ava Fleming gave La Salle possession, and in the 41st minute, Williams buried her shot in the back of the net, giving La Salle their first goal. The first half ended with a shot by redshirt second-year forward Emily Rossi, which veered right of the goal. 

The second half started with an unsuccessful shot by Hevey and a foul on Lanni, which La Salle responded to with a shot by Garcia in the 49th minute. The ball landed in the back of the net, bringing the match to a 2-2 draw. 

A shot by Explorer’s second-year midfielder Ella Cadigan flew over the crossbar, and a foul on Hollenbach returned the ball to the Ramblers. Schmidt took a shot in the 56th minute, and while it was deflected by Yaracs, it awarded the Ramblers a corner. 

The corner resulted in a shot by Schmidt, which soared over the top of the net. One minute later, a shot by Jourdanais turned to the bottom left of the net, but it was scooped by redshirt second-year goalkeeper Allison Deardorff. 

A foul on Hevey gave La Salle the ball, which Hollenbach sank into the back of the net in the 63rd minute, giving the Explorers their third straight goal and a 3-2 lead. 

After a foul on fourth-year forward Molly Pistorius, La Salle’s first-year midfielder and defender Anna Corsanico took a shot, but it went out to the left of the goal. A foul on Explorer’s third-year defender and midfielder Abby Doherty in the 66th minute preceded back-to-back shots by Williams, both of which were saved by Deardorff. 

Consecutive fouls on La Salle’s second-year defender Bri Lewis gave the Ramblers a chance at possession. Pistorius took a shot, but it was off-target, and fouls on third-year midfielder Ansley Cryan and Perritano returned possession to the Explorers. 

Lewis was called on a foul in the 74th minute, and a shot by Hevey in the 76th minute was snatched by Yaracs. A La Salle corner in the 79th minute resulted in a foul call on Garcia, which gave Loyola the ball. Second-year defender Catherine Cline took the ball downfield for a shot towards the top of the goal, but Yaracs caught the ball. 

Garcia took a shot in the 81st minute, but it sailed left of the goal. Third-year forward Jadyn Harris received a yellow card in the 82nd minute for unsporting, as did Explorer’s third-year defender Rylee Henson a few seconds later. 

Cryan and Corsanico traded shots in the 84th minute, but both veered away from the net. Perritano’s shot in the 84th minute was deflected by Yaracs, who also caught Perritano’s shot the next minute. 

A corner in the 88th minute for the Ramblers gave Loyola an opening for a goal. Lanni headed Cline’s kick into the corner of the net, evening the score 3-3. 

The match ended with both teams receiving yellow cards in the 88th minute for arguing with the referees. Explorer’s head coach Paul Royal argued for a foul to be called on Loyola during the corner. 

Head coach Jon Sandoval said the game wasn’t up to par with the team’s usual standards. 

“We should have managed today’s match better, especially myself,” Sandoval said. “We have to continue to grow and stay the course. The good news is a lot of our team goals are still achievable. We can’t lose sight of that. We control our own destiny.”

The Ramblers return to Hoyne Field Oct. 12 to continue conference play against the University of Richmond in their Breast Cancer Awareness Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and is available to stream on ESPN+.