A10 Postseason Preview: Women’s Soccer Secures Seventh Seed

Loyola women’s soccer will head into postseason play after securing the seventh seed in the Atlantic 10 (A10) Tournament. This is the second year the Ramblers have made the tournament since joining the A10 in 2022. 

The seven other teams in the tournament are the University of Dayton, Saint Louis University, Duquesne University, University of Rhode Island, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Fordham University and La Salle University. 

The Flyers went undefeated in conference play, claiming a 2-0 victory over the Ramblers Sept. 25. The third-seeded Dukes finished 7-3 in conference but fell 2-1 to the Ramblers Oct. 16. The fourth seed, University of Rhode Island went 5-3-2 in conference and came to a 1-1 draw against the Ramblers Oct. 23.

VCU, who lost 4-1 against Loyola Oct. 19, finished 5-4-1 in conference, taking the fifth seed. The sixth-seeded Fordham Rams ended the conference with the same record as VCU but fell 1-0 to Loyola Sept. 21. La Salle University clinched the eighth seed with a 4-4-2 conference record and came to a 3-3 draw with Loyola Oct. 6.

In the first round, the Ramblers will head to St. Louis to take on Saint Louis University Nov. 1 with a 2 p.m. kickoff. The second-seeded Billikens finished with a 13-3-2 season record and went 8-1-1 in conference play. 

The Ramblers’ last match against the Billikens Oct. 26 ended in a 0-0 draw, where Saint Louis outshot Loyola 15 to eight. Saint Louis’ fourth-year forward Rylee Howard led the Billikens with three shots, all on goal. 

If the Ramblers defeat the Billikens, they could face any of the remaining three teams. Pairings will be re-seeded following the quarterfinal round, with the highest seed playing the lowest and the second-highest playing the second-lowest. The winners of the two semifinal games will compete in the championship Nov. 9.

All rounds of the A10 playoffs are played at the higher seed’s home field. The Ramblers’ opening matchup and the rest of the tournament can be streamed on ESPN+.