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CHICAGO, Ill. – The Missouri State women's soccer team proved unable to recover from Loyola goals in the opening minutes of the first and second halves, falling 2-0 in its first Missouri Valley Conference loss Saturday at Loyola Soccer Park.

Loyola's Savannah Cruz received a well-placed cross and tapped it in from six yards out during the fourth minute to put the Ramblers on the board, 1-0, for the quick offensive start.

MSU struggled to match the Ramblers' production, failing to take a shot in the first 45 minutes. The Bears made up for it on the defensive side, as the squad tallied a pair of blocked shots and Kaitlin Maxwell gathered two critical saves to keep it a one-score game headed to halftime.

Coming out of the break, Jordan Eickelman and Anna Durnin sparked an offensive attack, launching a combined four shots in the first four minutes of the second half. Eickelman's shot fell square in the hands of Loyola's goalkeeper while Durnin's fell just wide.

Loyola found the net yet again in the 50^th minute, as Katharine Stephens bested Maxwell in a one-on-one matchup to put it in the long ball from the far post for the 2-0 edge.

Ashley Coonfield provided MSU with another scoring opportunity, but her shot sailed high to maintain the Ramblers' lead. The Bears' offense stalled throughout the remainder of the second to give Loyola its third-straight Valley win.

Maxwell finished the afternoon with three saves while Durnin paced MSU's attack, tallying all three of her shots within a two-minute span.  

The Bears continue the road portion of their Valley schedule, heading to Evansville for a midweek match on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.