Nov. 3, 2007

Final Stats

CHICAGO - Loyola opened defense of its Horizon League title in style, breezing into the semifinals with a 5-0 blanking of Green Bay in a quarterfinal match at Loyola Soccer Park. The second-seeded Ramblers, who improve to 13-8 on the season, will face Wright State in Friday's semifinals in Milwaukee.

After a sluggish start, Loyola got on the board with its first real chance of the match. Katie Heidenreich stormed into the box and set up Cynthia Morote-Ariza right in front of the Phoenix net for a clinical finish and a 1-0 Loyola lead in the 19th minute. The lead doubled less than a minute later courtesy of a tremendous individual effort from Heidenreich, who beat her defender on the right side to get into the box and fired a rocket into the back of the net for her fifth goal of the year. Loyola was unlucky to not score again before the half, as Jackie Vera was stopped on a nice save in the 36th minute and had another effort kept out by the woodwork in the 38th minute.

The third goal came just over five minutes into the second half and it was Morote-Ariza again. Laura Trevillian played her onside into space and she deftly chipped the onrushing keeper from 25 yards for her 17th marker of the season. Vera beat the keeper again in the 70th minute, as Loyola was hitting on all cylinders, only to see her low shot skim the outside of the post and out for a goal kick. She turned provider for Loyola's fourth, setting up Alexia Murray who rose over her mark to head in her second goal of the season. Just over two minutes later, the Ramblers would add their fifth from an unlikely source. Defender Caitlin Brown wove her way through the Phoenix defense and was run over in the box for a penalty. The junior converted her own spot kick for her second goal of the season and cap Loyola's most prolific offense output of the season.

Morote-Ariza's two goals gave her yet another school record as the markers made her Loyola's all-time leading scorer, in less than two full seasons, with 68 career points, bettering Melissa Eckerle's (1995-98) previous record of 66.

The Ramblers advance to face third-seeded Wright State, 6-0 winners over Detroit today, in Friday's semifinals. Game times from Milwaukee have yet to be announced, check back at www.loyolaramblers.com for the most up-to-date information.