In Short…

Freshman Marius Kullmann found the back of the net with only 18 seconds remaining in the first overtime to give the Loyola University Chicago men’s soccer team a 3-2 win over Valparaiso this evening before a record-setting crowd at Loyola Soccer Park.  With the win, the Ramblers start the 2016 campaign at 1-0-0, while the Crusaders drop to 0-1-0.

 

Coach Jones’ Thoughts…

“That was a battle.  Valparaiso is an excellent team with fantastic spirit and overall I think tonight was an entertaining battle between two good teams.  We have a lot to clean up but it’s always nice to get that first win on the board early in the season.”

 

How It Happened

Loyola came out and looked to take charge of the game early on as it dominated possession.  The Ramblers generated three corner kicks in rapid succession but were unable to take advantage.  Sophomore Fabian Lifka looked to put the Maroon & Gold on the board from 25 yards out in the 13^th minute, only to see his attempt float just over the crossbar.  Valparaiso struggled to pressure Loyola in the opening stanza, forcing only one save out of redshirt junior goalkeeper Andrew Chekadanov, as the two teams went to halftime knotted up at 0-0.

 

The Ramblers’ persistence paid off just seven minutes after the restart.  A free kick from junior Kyle Thomson rung off the near post but fell to sophomore Alec Lasinski inside the six-yard box.  Lasinski, a native of Ann Arbor, Mich., fired home to give Loyola a 1-0 lead in the 52^nd minute.  12 minutes later, junior Brody Kraussel sent a low cross across the face of goal that connected with sophomore Ryan Walker, who slotted home to double the advantage for the hosts, 2-0.

 

With time ticking away, Valparaiso began to press forward.  A Loyola foul inside the 18-yard box in the 75^th minute gave the Crusaders a chance to pull a goal back from the penalty spot and Isaiah Madrid did not disappoint as he tucked his attempt into the lower left corner of goal to cut the Loyola lead to 2-1.  Lasinski looked to put the visitors away in the 86^th minute but saw his shot parried away by Nico Campbell, the Valparaiso netminder.  Seconds after, Ramone Howell unleashed a low blast the found the back of the Rambler net to tie the game at 2-2 and force overtime.

 

Chekadanov came up with a save two minutes into the first extra session to keep the game alive for the Maroon & Gold.  With only 30 seconds remaining, Loyola mounted one final attack.  A service from the right side by senior Kirill Likhovid connected with Kullmann near Campbell’s back post.  The Fulda, Germany native took care of the rest from there as he scored the first goal of his collegiate career and set off a wild celebration.

 

Looking At The Numbers

- Loyola’s victory this evening sees it extend its home unbeaten run to 20 games, the longest streak of its kind in Division I men’s soccer.

- Tonight’s crowd of 867 established a new attendance record at Loyola Soccer Park, surpassing the previous record of 803 that was set against Bradley during the 2014 season.

- The three goals scored were the most for a Loyola team since a 3-0 blanking of Central Arkansas back on Oct. 17 of last season.

- Chekadanov earned the first victory of his collegiate career this evening in goal for the Ramblers.  The St. Louis, Mo., making only the third start of his career, stopped three shots.

 

Up Next

Loyola returns to action on Friday night when it hosts Northern Kentucky.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Loyola Soccer Park.