SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State women's soccer team (3-7-2, 0-2 MVC) dropped its first home conference match of the season, 2-0, to the Loyola Ramblers (3-7-2, 1-0 MVC) on Sunday (Oct. 2) at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium.
 
"We didn't play our best in the first half," commented head coach Rob Brewer. "I give the players credit being able to play a strong second half, despite being down by two goals. They showed what they are capable of doing on both sides of the ball, and we just weren't connecting in the first half."
 
The Ramblers took the early 1-0 lead in the seventh minute of action after a Missouri State foul was called at the 20-yard line. Loyola's Madison Kimball took the free kick, sending the ball over the top of MSU defenders and past the hands of MSU goalkeeper, Evan Stamp.
 
Loyola struck again in the 31^st minute, giving the Ramblers the 2-0 lead, and 5-4 shot advantage, going into the locker room. MSU's Brooke Prondzinski had the best look for the Bears in the first half, firing a shot in the 18^th minute of the match right into the crossbar, preventing MSU from getting on the board.
 
In the second half, Millie Kingsbury and company helped keep Loyola out of the home-half of the pitch, limiting the Ramblers to just a single shot. In the 71^st minute, the Ramblers had a breakaway but sent the ball straight into Stamp's chest, as the keeper tallied her third save of the day.
 
On the other side of the ball, the Bears fired nine shots in the second half, the most in any half this season. Junior Rachel Catrell started the second-half push for Missouri State, taking back-to-back shots in the 46^th minute of the match.
 
Four Bears – Brooke Zimmerman, Ashley Tallerine, Catrell and Brooke Zenner – each fired a shot in a three-minute span but were unable to convert any of the shots into goals. Mary Disidore tallied her team-leading 13^th and 14^th shots of the season in the 60^th and 63^rd minute, respectively, sending the ball just wide of the goal each time. Freshman Olina Einarsdottir would take the final shot for the Bears in the 83^rd minute of the match.
 
Missouri State will make its seventh road trip of the season on Sunday (Oct. 9), when the Bears travel to league-leading Illinois State.