Women’s Soccer Flattens Rams 1-0 in First Conference Match Up

The Loyola women’s soccer team defeated Fordham University 1-0 Sept. 21 in the first Atlantic 10 (A10) game of the season. Third-year forward and midfielder Zoe Hevey scored the lone goal of the match. 

The first half started with a Fordham corner, which was headed out by second-year defender Catherine Cline. Rams first-year defender Lucy Rios got a shot in, but it was saved by redshirt second-year goalkeeper Allison Deardorff — who just received her second consecutive A10 Defensive Player of the Week accolade.

In the third minute, a foul on Cline allowed Fordham to gain momentum. Fourth-year defender Julia Holton and Rios took back-to-back shots. Rios’ was scooped up by Deardorff and Holton’s sailed above the crossbar. 

A minute later, Rams’ second-year forward Julia Acosta took the ball to the bottom left corner, but it was picked up by Deardorff. Ram’s third-year midfielder Salma Simonin and third-year midfielder Maggie Schmidt were called for fouls in the seventh minute.

A handball against Fordham in the 10th minute allowed second-year midfielder Lydia Case a shot at the goal, which went wide left. Acosta shot to the left corner of the goal in the 13th minute and was recovered by Deardorff. 

Hevey and fourth-year forward Molly Pistorius took a shot within four minutes of each other, both being picked up by Fordham’s fourth-year goalkeeper Kyla King. Loyola received a corner in the 17th minute, which was headed out by Rams’ second-year forward Liina Tervo.

Three minutes later, Fordham took a corner which was deflected away by Cline and landed by third-year forward Jadyn Harris. Harris took off downfield and sent a pass to Hevey. Her shot soared into the upper right corner of the net, giving the Ramblers a 1-0 lead.

Head coach Jon Sandoval complimented Hevey on her ability to affect the offense. 

“I think she’s done a great job of being really balanced, finding moments to score goals and finding moments to assist,” Sandoval said. “I think she’s done a great job this year.”

The match continued with a foul on Rams’ first-year midfielder Renata Mercedes, allowing a shot by fourth-year midfielder and forward Angelina Perritano which veered to the left. In the 26th minute, Schmidt took a shot at the top of the goal, but it was caught by King. 

In the 32nd minute, a shot by Renata went to the center of the net and was stopped by Deardorff. A Loyola corner a minute later was kicked away by redshirt second-year forward Emily Rossi. Consecutive shots by Rossi and Hevey were stopped by King. 

A foul on Case gave Fordham possession, and in the 39th minute, first-year Loyola defender Abby Sudkamp received a yellow card for unsporting after tugging on the shirt of Rams’ third-year midfielder Lena Johnsen. 

In the 40th minute, Tervo’s shot to the right corner was saved by Deardorff, and the first half ended after Rams second-year midfielder Annie Maguire’s shot whiffed left of the net.

The second half began with a foul on Tervo and a corner for Loyola, where Hevey’s shot was blocked by a group of Ram defenders. Holton and Schmidt traded fouls and a shot by Tervo was blocked by Rambler defenders. 

Fouls on Holton and Hevey in the 53rd minute ended with Loyola possession, where Hevey’s shot soared to the left, and Harris’ shot was snatched by King. A shot in the 61st minute by Rams’ third-year forward Riley Carroll was blocked by fourth-year defender Emily Roberts, who exited the game with a lower-body injury. 

After a yellow card was given to Tervo in the 63rd minute for unsporting, back-to-back shots by Hevey and Pistorius were unsuccessful. Following a corner for Loyola in the 66th minute which was deflected by Mercedes, shots by Acosta and Mercedes both went over the crossbar. 

Mercedes was called on a foul in the 73rd minute, and a shot from her was scooped up by Deardorff two minutes later. Following Harris’ shot saved by King, a foul on Sudkamp gave the ball over to the Rams, but they couldn’t capitalize on the momentum. 

A shot by Pistorius in the 82nd minute was followed by a shot from Harris, but both soared over the crossbar. Tervo responded with a shot of her own, but it was scooped up by Deardorff. 

Consecutive shots by Harris were unsuccessful — one sailing over the net and the other veering right. Case and Carroll both received yellow cards in the 88th minute for unsporting, and the match ended with a 1-0 victory for the Ramblers.

The Ramblers continue conference play against the University of Dayton in Ohio Sept. 25. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the match can be streamed on ESPN+.