Women’s Soccer Withstands Davidson in “Kick Cancer” Match

The Loyola women’s soccer team outlasted Davidson College in a 1-0 victory at Hoyne Field Oct. 13. The Ramblers remain undefeated at home and boast a 8-2-5 season record, with a 3-0-4 mark in Atlantic 10 conference play.

Loyola players and coaches sported pink highlights in their uniforms and promoted breast cancer awareness via a silent jersey auction, with proceeds going to non-profit METAvivor — an organization dedicated to fighting stage four breast cancer, according to Loyola Athletics.

Loyola opened the offensive attack with a corner kick a minute in from third-year defender Emily Roberts. The resulting ball was bobbled and dropped by Davidson’s fourth-year goalkeeper Emily Smith but was hastily cleared away.

The Ramblers applied consistent offensive pressure, with the Wildcats’ first foray into the other end coming 10 minutes into the match. Third-year Davidson forward Dakota Lyons was able to slip between Rambler defenders, but was denied by an offsides call.

Two minutes later, Davidson was unable to convert with a header which sailed over the top bar, a trend which plagued the Wildcats for the rest of the night and helped cement a shut-out performance from redshirt first-year goalkeeper Allison Deardorff.

“It was very relieving [with] most of them over the bar,” Deardorff said. “So no worries, no issue.”

For the next 20 minutes, both teams suffered offensively from a series of inaccurate final passes, shots going wide of the net or effective goalkeeper play. During the 20 minutes, the Wildcats attempted three shots while the Ramblers recorded six.

The major breakthrough of the game came in the 32nd minute when second-year forward and midfielder Zoey Hevey received the ball on the left wing. After being held up by a Davidson defender, Hevey curved a through pass to second-year forward Jadyn Harris.

Harris was able to cut inside with the ball and squared a shot beneath the legs of Smith, giving the Ramblers the only goal of the game.

The goal defined the team’s tactics coming together during the game, according to Harris.

“We’ve been working on really taking initiative, just committing to our runs, committing to each other,” Harris said. “Even if it’s not the perfect ball still run and make that space for another player so we can be successful together.”

The Ramblers immediately followed up with another offensive attack, but Hevey’s shot drifted wide across the goal and deflected off the post for a goal kick.

In the 34th minute, Davidson fourth-year forward Aleia Gisolfi-McCready was issued a yellow card after extra-physical contact in the Ramblers’ box.

Davidson went on to outshoot the Ramblers in the following 10 minutes by three shots to two, including a golden opportunity by third-year forward Meghan Economos in a one-on-one opportunity saved by Smith.

Despite the shooting disadvantage, Loyola was able to hold and maintain a narrow lead at the end of the first half.

A wave of substitutions set the pace to the start of the second half, as both teams remained in a deadlock trading wasted offensive possessions.

The Ramblers significantly lowered their shot attempts in the second half with only six, as the Wildcats’ five consisted of either Deardorff saves or off-target attempts.

Davidson increased their offensive tempo in the final five minutes, but were unable to completely break the defensive line and get an equalizer as the match drew to a close.

Statistically, the teams shared a virtually even split in possession, with 52% belonging to the Ramblers. Of Davidson’s 12 shots taken, only three managed to be on goal, with two being saved by Deardorff.

Despite the box score, head coach Angela Staveskie said defensive limitations were a priority in the team’s final stretch of the regular season.

“One of our missed opportunities today was defending those crosses — being a bit more disruptive,” Staveskie said. “They had that player on the back post a few times that needed to be marked. A little bit stingier defensively, but I’m confident we’ll work on that, we’ve changed formations a few times, putting our players in the best position to succeed.”

The Ramblers return to Hoyne Oct. 20 to host the University of Massachusetts, with three games remaining before A10 conference tournament play. The match kicks off at 1 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.