Ramblers Suffer Loss to The Flames, Ending Their Winning Streak

Loyola men’s soccer lost to University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Sept. 13, ending their undefeated streak. Following their loss, their standing dropped to a record of 5-1-2.

Starting off strong in the first play of the game, the Flames were able to take an early lead with a goal by midfielder Darrel Turcios assisted by midfielder Carlos Nevardez in the second minute.

Following the goal, there were two consecutive fouls called on Rambler third-year midfielder Benji Chavarria and UIC’s first-year defender Daniel Zepeda.

In the sixth minute, an offside against the Ramblers was called, followed by an offside against UIC. Back-to-back fouls on third-year defender Nicholas Roe and fifth-year midfielder Seth Steward were called in the 11th minute.

Shots were attempted in the 14th minute by Turcios and second-year forward Chimnosoh Okeke. Both were saved by third-year goalkeeper Maxwel Ionite and UIC goalkeeper Owen Cornel, respectively.

Nearly a minute later, another attempt was made by Flames midfielder Martin Montoya, where Ionita was able to hold strong and make the save on the bottom center of the goal.

Following the attempt, Roe fell to another foul paired with UIC’s forward Antonio Delgado. This resulted in a Rambler substitution from first-year midfielder Mateusz Drazek for fourth-year midfielder Jack McFeely and third-year forward Arved Von Vegesack for Chavarria.

Two offside claims were made against the Ramblers within the 22nd minute, resulting in a corner kick from the Flames in the 23rd minute.

Three shots were made in the 31st minute – two by Rambler first-year midfielder Nico Kehayov and third-year midfielder Luka Ivancic. The last was recorded by Flames defender Sota Nakazono.

In the 35th minute of the first period, the first yellow card was given to Vegesack, followed by two back-to-back corner kicks awarded to the Flames and missed shots by Zepeda and fourth-year defender Hector Gil.

The final shot of the period was made in the 43rd minute by Okeke which led to a corner kick, ending the first period 1-0.

It wasn’t until the 47th minute in the second period the Ramblers had a shot attempt –- two were recorded by Okeke while Vegesack notched one.

Following the attempts, a corner kick was awarded to the Ramblers, followed by a shot attempt by UIC midfielder Sebastian Khoury that was saved by Ionita.

Three goal attempts were made in the 53rd minute by Kehayov, McFeely and Nevardez, resulting in the score remaining the same.

In the 61st minute, the second yellow card of the game was called, awarded to Flames player third-year midfielder Darrell Tircios, giving possession of the ball to the Ramblers. This resulted in a foul on Kehayov, an offside claim against the Ramblers and a shot by Okeke which was saved by graduate student goalkeeper OwenCornell.

The Flames took charge with two consecutive corner kicks and a shot by Khoury, which was saved by Ionita in the 67th minute.

There were three shot attempts from the 70th to the 73rd minute by Okeke, Delgado and Montoya, all failing to change the score. With Okeke’s sixth try at the net, he led the match in shot attempts.

The Ramblers were awarded a corner kick after an offside claim was given to UIC in the 81st minute. This resulted in a shot by third-year defender Daniel Firs, which was saved by Cornell.

In minutes 84 through 87, there were five fouls -– two on Okeke and Vegesack and three on UIC third-year defender Kyle Ward, fourth-year defender Takeru and Delgado.

Following a Rambler corner kick in the 87th minute, the game ended with two final shot attempts by Chavarria and first-year defender Lucas Webb, ending the game with a score of 1-0.

Head Coach Kevin Robson said the team and coaching staff are looking forward to conference play next weekend. 

“I have to give credit to UIC,” Robson said. “I thought they played a very good game and deserved the result. Overall, I am very happy with where we are at and really excited for the much deserved few days off.”

The Ramblers will travel to the Bronx, New York. to play Fordham University Sept. 19. The game is set for 1 p.m. and will be available to stream on ESPN+.