Printable 2008 Loyola Men's Soccer Schedule

June 26, 2008

CHICAGO - After capturing its first-ever outright regular-season Horizon League title last fall, the Loyola University Chicago men's soccer team will face arguably one of the toughest schedules in school history. The 2008 Ramblers will face five teams that reached the NCAA Tournament a year ago, including three that finished in the top 10 in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas Top 25 Poll, according to the schedule released by head coach Brendan Eitz today.

Six of Loyola's opponents this fall finished 2007 with RPI rankings in the top 60. Right out of the gate, the Ramblers face a stern test as they open the 2008 campaign by hosting Santa Clara, (16-2-4) which finished last season ranked No. 7 in the final NSCAA/adidas Top 25 Poll, on Aug. 30 at Loyola Soccer Park.

After that tough season-opening test, Loyola embarks on a three-match road trip in which it will play three challenging contests at Cincinnati (Sept. 1), at Denver (Sept. 5) and at Air Force (Sept. 7). Loyola returns home Sept. 12 for a duel with Drake to kick off a stretch that will see it play eight of its next 11 matches at home. The Drake match opens up a four-game home stand that also features showdowns with SIU-Edwardsville (Sept. 21), the Horizon League opener versus Detroit (Sept. 26) and Cleveland State (Sept. 28).

An Oct. 3 trip to League foe Wright State is followed by three matches against local rivals - Valparaiso (Oct. 5), Bradley (Oct. 11) and at DePaul (Oct. 15). Both Bradley and DePaul advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, with the Braves finishing the year tied for No. 10 in the final NSCAA/adidas Top 25 Poll. Loyola plays a rare Saturday night contest when it welcomes League rival Milwaukee to Loyola Soccer Park on Oct. 18 before it closes out the 2008 slate by playing three of its final four contests away from home.

Loyola travels to Butler (Oct. 24), then plays its final regular-season home match of the year versus Northwestern (Oct. 28), which finished ranked No. 21 last season and reached the NCAA Tournament. Following the local tilt against the Wildcats, the Ramblers finish the season with a pair of challenging League road matches at Green Bay (Oct. 31) and at UIC (Nov. 2). Both Green Bay and UIC ranked among the top 60 in the RPI rankings last year and the Flames reached the NCAA Quarterfinals and wound up ranked tied for No. 10.

The Ramblers will be seeking their second Horizon League Tournament title when play opens Nov. 7. In 2006, a staunch defense helped Loyola storm through the tournament to claim its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

All told, Loyola's 2008 foes racked up a 158-134-54 (.535) record a year ago and eight of those opponents recorded 10 or more victories last fall. The Ramblers, who posted a 10-5-4 overall mark in 2007, return all but four points from last year's explosive offense, which is led by Third Team NSCAA All-America selection Michael Ferguson. Ferguson, the 2007 Horizon League Player of the Year, led the League with 15 goals and 32 points last fall.