Loyola’s women’s soccer team battled in a double overtime match on Wednesday, Oct. 17, to start out their week of two games. At the end of the 90 minutes, the game was at an even 1-1. The game was a defensive stalemate for the first 80 minutes until American broke through first.
Loyola answered back with a goal immediately after, and although both teams created more chances, the score did not change through extra time. Claire Beath, ’21, scored the only goal for the Hounds off a corner kick from Gillian Borton, ’22, in the 82nd minute. Sumer Rahe, ‘19, stood tall in goal once again, tallying five saves.
After staying put at 0-0 for the bulk of the match, American finally opened the scoring in the 81st minute. Audrey Denkler sent a long free kick into the box, where Yari Bradfield converted.
However, the tides quickly turned as Loyola earned a corner kick in the following possession. Borton sent the ball into the box, where a brief scrap ensued. Suddenly, Beath found a sliver of space and fired a shot past goalie Morgan Lang, tying the game in the blink of an eye.
Loyola had their best chances to score in the overtime periods. Just moments into the second overtime, Jourdan Ziff, ’19, sent a shot that curled just wide. Kate Reese, ’19, had three great looks at the goal, but two sailed wide, and Lang saved the other. Rahe made a stop to keep her team alive. Time eventually ran out, sending both squads home without a win.
The women’s team ended the week with a quality Patriot League win on Senior Night, defeating the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in a 4-3 shootout. Before the match, the Hounds honored their six members of the Class of 2019: Julianna Cabrera, Sarah Ensor, Kate Reese, Mia Sardella, Rahe and Jordan Ziff. This win keeps the Hounds within distance of a spot in the Patriot League championship.
Sarah Bayer, ’22, scored twice, including the game winner. Hannah Hoefs, ’20, notched a goal and two assists, while Kaleigh Gallagher, ’22, assisted twice as well. Ziff also scored in her final regular season home game.
Bayer opened the scoring in the ninth minute, finishing a cross from Gallagher that was deflected by Hoefs. Lehigh fired back and tied the game in the 28th minute off a goal from Sabrina Mertz.
Loyola fell behind late in the second half when a Lehigh shot hit off a Loyola defender directly to Kayla Arestivo, who finished the play and gave the Mountain Hawks their first lead. But the Hounds answered just minutes later when Hoefs bent a free kick from the top of the box into the upper-right corner, evening the score once again.
A 50-50 ball early in the second half gave the Hounds an opportunity. Gallagher managed to tip the ball to Hoefs within the scrap, who found Ziff racing toward the cage. Ziff beat goalie Sam Miller low and away, giving the lead back to Loyola in the 48th minute.
The Greyhounds’ defense settled in after regaining the lead, but they remained persistent with counter attacks, creating a stout advantage in shots attempted. They earned a corner kick in the 73rd minute. Sardella bent it seamlessly through the Lehigh defense and found Bayer, who headed in her second goal of the night.
Now down 4-2 with the minutes ticking by, the Mountain Hawks went into desperation mode. They managed to cut the deficit to one in the 77th minute off Rebecca Van Siclen’s shot, but the Greyhounds held onto their lead and ended Senior Night with a victory.
After the week, Loyola sits at 6-9-1 and 2-5-1 in Patriot League play. They play their final regular season match at Lafayette College on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. The Hounds must win this match to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Feature Image: Courtesy of Craig Chase
