The Loyola men’s soccer team trounced Olivet Nazarene University in a 4-1 victory at Hoyne Field Oct. 22. The Ramblers were led by the efforts of first-year forward Arved von Vegesack, who recorded a goal and two assists in the second half.
The non-conference matchup was a way for the Ramblers to recover and adjust their strategies in the midst of several Atlantic 10 conference battles, according to head coach Steve Bode.
The Ramblers were immediately fouled in the Tigers’ half. The resulting freekick traveled into the box and was headed by first-year defender Daniel Firs, but was easily collected by Olivet’s second-year goalkeeper Nathan Lamberti.
The Ramblers would have two additional shots in the following seven minutes, with attempts by second-year midfielder Jack McFeeley and second-year forward Petar Janjic going wide of the net.
A Loyola corner in the 10th minute made its way to first-year defender David Siemenko outside of the box, who’s long range shot went left of the net, and out of bounds.
Two minutes later, Siemenko would rescue the Ramblers from a defensive mistake. After Loyola’s second-year goal keeper Alex Ortiz mistakenly passed the ball right to a Tiger attacker, the resulting shot deflected between several defenders and the out-of-position Ortiz.
Right at the goal line, Siemenko stretched and was able to stop the ball from rolling in with his foot, giving the Ramblers a chance to recover.
In the 15th minute, a shot by McFeeley was deflected away by Lamberti for a corner. The cross-in missed the outstretched hands of Lamberti and made its way to Firs, who calmly headed the ball into the open net, giving Loyola a 1-0 lead.
In the following 10 minutes, the Tigers maintained consistent offensive pressure, forcing Ortiz to make three more saves. On the other side of the field, McFeeley, von Vegesack and Janjic were unable to take advantage of shot opportunities.
After negating an Olivet Nazarene counter in the 33rd minute, Loyola started their own counter, only to have another shot by Janjic go well over the net.
Janjic’s attempt was the last major scoring opportunity of the first half, which drew to a close at 1-0. The Ramblers maintained 60% possession in the first half, and recorded 14 shots with seven on goal.
The second half started up with more offensive pressure from Olivet Nazarene, who made multiple runs into Loyola’s third. Their best opportunity came in the 60th minute, when third-year Tiger defender TJ Cairney lost possession, giving first-year Olivet Nazarene forward Adrian Kang Hagman a golden opportunity.
Kang Hagman found himself one-on-one with redshirt third-year goalkeeper Jamis Fite – who had been substituted at the start of the second half for Ortiz – who contorted his body to make the save. The ball, still in play, was eventually put out of bounds for a goal kick.
10 minutes later, the Tigers finally got the equalizer after a terrible mistake from Fite. Olivet Nazarene first-year defender Alvaro Bonet took a shot straight at the hands of Fite, who dropped the ball and was unable to stop it from rolling into the net behind him.
The Tiger’s momentum wouldn’t last long as the Ramblers extended their lead in the 71st minute. Von Vegesack carried the ball into the right wing, and directed a pass into the box. On the receiving end was McFeeley, who hammered the shot into the right corner of the net for the 2-1 score.
Bode reflected on the quick turnaround and the adaptability shown in the young squad.
“We’ve been trying to talk about the resilience of things are going to happen,” Bode said. “We’re going to make mistakes. We’re up a goal — there’s a mistake. How do we move on from it fast? That’s where I give credit to the group.”
Three minutes later, the Ramblers added another goal in nearly identical fashion. Another pass from von Vegesack on the wing, only this time it was third-year forward Angel Mendez to take the shot, which also landed in the top-right corner.
Von Vegesack made one last statement in the match in the 78th minute. After cutting along the goalline into the box, he was fouled and was awarded a penalty kick. His penalty attempt was thumped over outstretched Tiger first-year goalkeeper Ludvig Hilberts, giving the Ramblers a 4-1 advantage.
Olivet Nazarene made a few more forays into the Loyola midfield but were largely denied as the match drew to a close.
Statistically, the Ramblers managed a total of 20 shots on goal over the match, with 11 on goal. A total of four saves were recorded, with three from Fite and one from Ortiz.
The result secures the Ramblers’ three-game win streak since they first won against Virginia Commonwealth University Oct. 12.
“We talked about how sometimes losing can be a habit, but so can winning,” Bode said. “The fact that we’ve won three in a row now, it’s good momentum — so just trying to keep it rolling into Saturday.”
The Ramblers travel to New York City next weekend when they take on Fordham University Oct. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
