Women's soccer team shuts out Eastern Illinois in home opener

The Loyola women's soccer team defeated Eastern Illinois University 4-0 in their first game of the season on August 15. All four goals were scored by the Ramblers, who were playing in their first collegiate game.

The Ramblers controlled the ball with 60% possession during the game and took a total of 22 shots, nine of which were on target, while the Panthers managed just five total shots, one of which was on target.

Sophomore midfielder Maggie Schmidt fired the first shot of the night in the third minute, which went over the net and out of bounds. Both teams were called for offsides in the fifth and sixth minutes before Panthers sophomore forward Alex Tetteh attempted two consecutive shots.

Fourth-year defenseman Kenedi Jones and sophomore forward Zoey Hevey increased the number of shots on goal. In the 13th minute, Hevey found sophomore forward Emily Rossi, who put the ball in the net to give the Ramblers a one-goal lead.

Hevey found another opportunity to play through the Panther defense, but was unable to capitalize after the ball was saved by Panther redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Ashlyn Hoover. A defensive foul on Jones gave Panther first-year midfielder Ella Dwyer a free kick that was caught by sophomore goalkeeper Allison Deardorff.

Loyola made its first substitution of the night, bringing in defender and former Gatorade Player of the Year Roos van Roekel and midfielder Olivia Anderson, also in her first year. Anderson began her time on the field with a long-range shot in the 30th minute.

Just two minutes later, another Loyola substitution brought in forward Jocelyn Leigh. After four uneventful minutes, third-year defender Emily Roberts entered the field to replace sophomore midfielder Ansley Cryan.

Interim coach Angela Staveskie said that the many substitutions during the game allowed her to observe the dynamics of the different groups of players and that the players felt comfortable on the field early in the season.

Van Roekel fired a shot wide of the right of the goal from a corner kick in the 29th minute. The final action of the half came when defender Alaina Abel headed the ball out of play from another corner kick to give the Ramblers a 1-0 lead.

Loyola began the second half with three consecutive corner kicks before Casey Kittridge, the Panthers' new defender, was shown a yellow card. Rossi received the free kick and converted her second goal of the night in the 50th minute.

Rossi, who missed all of last season due to injury, said she was excited to be back on the field and contribute to the Ramblers' success on opening night.

“It's a great feeling to finally be back in a real game, to come back and score some goals,” Rossi said. “It feels pretty good.”

After Rossi's goal, Loyola brought Leigh, van Roekel, Anderson and Roberts back into the game. Leigh received a pass from Hevey that went out of bounds. Sophomore defenseman Skyler Bierker shot wide right of the net off a corner kick and was caught by Hoover.

In the 74th minute, Hevey sent a pass to Leigh, who kicked it into the net to give the Ramblers a 3-0 lead.

Six minutes later, forward Ella Skelton, who had just come on for Hevey, assisted first-year midfielder Lydia Case on the Ramblers' final goal of the night, making the score 4-0. With less than two minutes left in the game, third-year midfielder Corissa Koontz received a yellow card.

As the 90th minute siren sounded, the Ramblers stormed the field to celebrate their first win of the season, with recently promoted Staveskie claiming her first official victory as head coach.

She said that despite the personnel changes on the team, the Ramblers remained grounded and focused on the game.

“Our goal from the beginning is to take everything one step at a time, one day at a time, and support each other,” Staveskie said. “It starts with staying where you are and enjoying the moment. And that's exactly what they're doing. They're supporting that. Tonight is about enjoying it with their families, and tomorrow is about recovery.”

The Ramblers continue their season on the road against Purdue University on Thursday, August 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and broadcast information has yet to be released.