Women’s Soccer Secure Last Minute Win against University of Toledo

Loyola women’s soccer secured a 2-1 win Sept. 5 over the University of Toledo thanks to a last minute goal from fourth-year midfielder Taylor Harrison. With the win the Ramblers improve to 4-1-1 and remain undefeated at home.

The Ramblers had a total of 15 shots with six shots on goal  and maintained 59% possession. Loyola’s redshirt first-year goalkeeper Allison Deardorff made three saves as compared to Toledo’s four saves.

Toledo got on the board first after 16 minutes of slow play. First-year defender Morgan Spitler knocked in the ball after Toledo fourth-year midfielder Olivia Dault’s shot was rebounded and saved.

The team was unfazed by Toledo’s early goal and worked to make up the deficit, according to interim head coach Angela Staveskie.

“They knew they had to get one back,” Staveskie said. “And they did. It’s honestly credit to them, it was nothing that I did.” 

The Ramblers attempted to respond to the early goal with shots from fourth-year midfielder Jamiee Cibulka and second-year midfielder Maggie Schmidt one minute later. 

Play was temporarily stopped in the 27th minute after first-year forward Jocelyn Leigh collided with a Toledo defender, leaving Leigh on the field holding her head. She was subbed out for redshirt first-year forward Emily Rossi. 

In the 29th minute, Toledo committed a handball in their penalty box, setting up Rossi with a penalty kick opportunity. She drove the ball high and to the right, finding the back of the net as Toledo’s third-year goalkeeper Agnes Stenlund dove to the left. The goal marked Rossi’s third of the season. 

As the half drew to a close, Deardorff made her second save of the night, while Cibulka and Schmidt got off another two shots with no success. 

The Ramblers continued to push offensively to start the second half, firing off five shots at Toledo’s third-year goalkeeper Agnes Stenlund over the course of 14 minutes. 

With the game still tied and just 14 seconds remaining, graduate defender Olivia Rhodes put the ball back into play with a throw-in. The ball was unsuccessfully headed out by Toledo’s defense, where it was quickly picked up by Cibulka, who passed it to Harrison for a quick tap-in.

The last second heroics mark the second game-winning goal in a row for Harrison, who also scored against Bowling Green State University.

Harrison said she was happy to have been there to tap in the goal and secure the victory and is proud of the team for not giving up after having a hard time nailing some shots. 

“Our build up is great,” Harrison said. “We’re working together as a team. We’re creating chances, and it’s good to be on the end of them, even if it’s wide or missing shots. We never gave up, we never stopped believing.”  

Staveskie said Harrison, who was subbed on just before scoring, and the play of the other upperclassmen display a lesson she’s trying to pass on to the younger athletes about the importance of the quality of game time, and not just quantity. 

Staveskie said it felt good to secure the win and commended the team for keeping their composure.

“To be able to grind out a game like this, to still have the belief and to still have that composure in the last 15 seconds says a lot about this group,” Staveskie said.

The Rambler’s next matchup is at Hoyne Field against Eastern Michigan University Sept. 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.