Loyola offense finding its stride
Ramblers' streak continues with 4-1 win at St. Ignatius
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- In her first six games of the year, nothing quite went according to form or custom for Stephanie Ramsay. As one of the top offensive talents in her class, the Loyola junior forward went through the unaccountable.
“I had a really rough start,” she admitted.
After her breakout sophomore campaign a year ago where she scored 18 goals and registered 12 assists, Ramsay became a target as the Ramblers’ no. 1 scoring threat. Whether she was pressing or had fewer opportunities, Ramsay could not quite capture the exact reason for her early slump.
“I think the strongest parts of my game are my speed, skill and one-on-one ability,” Ramsay said.
It figured to be inevitable -- a simple matter of time -- before her playmaking instincts took over.
Ramsay rediscovered her prowess by scoring two goals and assisting a third score as the Ramblers continued their torrid play with an impressive 4-1 victory over St. Ignatius in GCAC Red play Thursday.
“Today is the beginning of something new,” said Ramsay, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
All the scoring happened in the first half and Ramsay effectively put the game away with her second goal and the assist on a beautiful Maggie Brett goal in the 37th and 39th minutes, respectively.
St, Ignatius coach Sean Palacios is intimately familiar with the Ramblers’ squad. He was the top lieutenant to Loyola coach Craig Snower for seven years. He also coaches many of the Ramblers’ players in the club program, FC United, which Snower founded and directs.
“Maggie played for my club team this year, and Stephanie is terrific,” Palacios said. “We knew coming in we had to contain them a little bit. We contained Maggie some, but when you play against two great forwards, it is very hard to contain both. Stephanie went off today, and that is the strength of their team.”
Ramsay’s volatile start has mirrored the larger team. Junior defender Riley Burns, the team’s best all-around player, suffered a season-ending foot injury on the eve of the first game. Loyola was stunned as it begin the year.
“I think at first we were all shocked by Riley’s loss,” Ramsay said. “Without her, it is definitely a negative aspect of our season. A lot of us were asking what we were going to do. I think it is better we had to deal with it early rather than halfway through season and trying to figure out what to do next. I think our defense has really picked it up, and they have tried to compensate for the loss.”
Loyola (4-3-0, 2-0-0) bolted out to a 2-0 advantage in the opening 20 minutes. Ramsay broke through her scoreless streak by pouncing on a misplayed clearance for the opening score. She downplayed the goal.
“It was not exactly a great shot,” Ramsay said. “They made a mistake in front of the goal, and I made them pay.”
Snower predicted at the start of the year Loyola’s trajectory would differ from recent years. The team was likely to start slower and finish faster. The offense is starting to click. Ramsay, Brett and senior forward Anna Perona are fast and developing a significant rapport.
Loyola has outscored the opposition 15-1 during its four-game winning streak. The team has found different weapons. Defender Lauren Daffada recorded the second goal for the 2-0 advantage.
St. Ignatius pulled within 2-1 on a penalty kick by sophomore midfielder Grace Campbell.
Not only because of Palacios’ connection to Loyola, the rivalry between the two schools is a deep one. The two programs are the only Jesuit schools in the Chicago Catholic League. Many St. Ignatius players, like Campbell, also play for FC United.
“It’s always a competitive game, but I’d say good-natured,” Campbell said. “After the goal, we were definitely looking up and excited to be in the game, because last year we did not get a goal against them. We were proud of keeping the game competitive. We just had a five-minute lapse, and at this competitive of a level, you can’t afford to do that because the other team is going to capitalize.
“We had a good period in there, followed by something we definitely have to work on.”
Moving with greater confidence and sureness, Ramsay took the game over late in the first half. In the 37th minute, holding the ball on the left wing, she moved quickly across and hammered a ball with speed and touch for her second goal.
“I was really proud of that shot,” she said.
In the 39th minute, Ramsay put the game out of reach. She advanced the ball up the middle, split two defenders and left a ball on the right flank to Brett. The sophomore made a quick jitter move to get past the last defender and drilled a ball inside the far post.
That was Brett's team-best sixth goal of the year.
“It was a great pass, and I think getting those two goals at the end of the half really helped everybody going into the second half,” she said.
The lead allowed Snower to play multiple options in the second half. Elly Zern, another freshman forward of considerable promise, showed terrific instincts and abilities. Freshman midfielder Vanessa Murray also stood out with her touch, quickness and ability to get to the ball.
St. Ignatius (3-4-0, 0-1-0) stayed close for as long as it could.
“Loyola thought the best part of their team was going to be their defense,” Palacios said. “With Riley going down, it kind of flipped around, and I think their offense is just top notch. They really play four forwards with Murray in the middle, and that offense is only going to get better.”
The Ramblers’ defense has seemingly absorbed the loss of Riley, as much as possible.
“There is no way to replace Riley; she is a top 10 player in the state,” Snower said. ‘The first week was very difficult for us mentally as we had virtually no prep time between the injury and two great opponents in St. Charles North and Evanston.
“I still think we are going to be a very good offensive team. We showed some glimpses of that today. Steph knows how to score big goals. Maggie is on a good pace. The offense is not going to be the issue. Since the first game (against St. Charles North), we have not given up a goal except for a restart and now two (penalty kicks).”
Now the Ramblers face an elevated opponent in no. 2 Barrington in the Saturday afternoon debut of the North Shore Invitational, a high-profile tournament Loyola is hosting in collaboration with New Trier.
“This was a big conference game for us, because our in-season goal is always to win conference,” Snower said. “We are about to go into a set of really challenging games, and it is going to be a great evaluation of how far we far we have come since the first week.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Maggie Avery
D: Emily Chrisman
D: Lauren Daffada
D: Bella Broccolo
D: Faith Craddock
MF: Ally West
MF: Vanessa Murray
MF: Cate Shellenback
F: Maggie Brett
F: Stephanie Ramsay
F: Anna Perona
St. Ignatius
GK: Jessica Belica
D: Rachel Ryan
D: Sam Ritter
D: Brakari Du Boise
MF: Grace Campbell
MF: Shay Reifert
MF: Loraina Lopez
MF: Abby Gupta
F: Maura Murphy
F: Lexi Tieman
F: Alex Goslin
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match: Stephanie Ramsay, jr., forward, Loyola
Ramblers' streak continues with 4-1 win at St. Ignatius
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- In her first six games of the year, nothing quite went according to form or custom for Stephanie Ramsay. As one of the top offensive talents in her class, the Loyola junior forward went through the unaccountable.
“I had a really rough start,” she admitted.
After her breakout sophomore campaign a year ago where she scored 18 goals and registered 12 assists, Ramsay became a target as the Ramblers’ no. 1 scoring threat. Whether she was pressing or had fewer opportunities, Ramsay could not quite capture the exact reason for her early slump.
“I think the strongest parts of my game are my speed, skill and one-on-one ability,” Ramsay said.
It figured to be inevitable -- a simple matter of time -- before her playmaking instincts took over.
Ramsay rediscovered her prowess by scoring two goals and assisting a third score as the Ramblers continued their torrid play with an impressive 4-1 victory over St. Ignatius in GCAC Red play Thursday.
“Today is the beginning of something new,” said Ramsay, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match.
All the scoring happened in the first half and Ramsay effectively put the game away with her second goal and the assist on a beautiful Maggie Brett goal in the 37th and 39th minutes, respectively.
St, Ignatius coach Sean Palacios is intimately familiar with the Ramblers’ squad. He was the top lieutenant to Loyola coach Craig Snower for seven years. He also coaches many of the Ramblers’ players in the club program, FC United, which Snower founded and directs.
“Maggie played for my club team this year, and Stephanie is terrific,” Palacios said. “We knew coming in we had to contain them a little bit. We contained Maggie some, but when you play against two great forwards, it is very hard to contain both. Stephanie went off today, and that is the strength of their team.”
Ramsay’s volatile start has mirrored the larger team. Junior defender Riley Burns, the team’s best all-around player, suffered a season-ending foot injury on the eve of the first game. Loyola was stunned as it begin the year.
“I think at first we were all shocked by Riley’s loss,” Ramsay said. “Without her, it is definitely a negative aspect of our season. A lot of us were asking what we were going to do. I think it is better we had to deal with it early rather than halfway through season and trying to figure out what to do next. I think our defense has really picked it up, and they have tried to compensate for the loss.”
Loyola (4-3-0, 2-0-0) bolted out to a 2-0 advantage in the opening 20 minutes. Ramsay broke through her scoreless streak by pouncing on a misplayed clearance for the opening score. She downplayed the goal.
“It was not exactly a great shot,” Ramsay said. “They made a mistake in front of the goal, and I made them pay.”
Snower predicted at the start of the year Loyola’s trajectory would differ from recent years. The team was likely to start slower and finish faster. The offense is starting to click. Ramsay, Brett and senior forward Anna Perona are fast and developing a significant rapport.
Loyola has outscored the opposition 15-1 during its four-game winning streak. The team has found different weapons. Defender Lauren Daffada recorded the second goal for the 2-0 advantage.
St. Ignatius pulled within 2-1 on a penalty kick by sophomore midfielder Grace Campbell.
Not only because of Palacios’ connection to Loyola, the rivalry between the two schools is a deep one. The two programs are the only Jesuit schools in the Chicago Catholic League. Many St. Ignatius players, like Campbell, also play for FC United.
“It’s always a competitive game, but I’d say good-natured,” Campbell said. “After the goal, we were definitely looking up and excited to be in the game, because last year we did not get a goal against them. We were proud of keeping the game competitive. We just had a five-minute lapse, and at this competitive of a level, you can’t afford to do that because the other team is going to capitalize.
“We had a good period in there, followed by something we definitely have to work on.”
Moving with greater confidence and sureness, Ramsay took the game over late in the first half. In the 37th minute, holding the ball on the left wing, she moved quickly across and hammered a ball with speed and touch for her second goal.
“I was really proud of that shot,” she said.
In the 39th minute, Ramsay put the game out of reach. She advanced the ball up the middle, split two defenders and left a ball on the right flank to Brett. The sophomore made a quick jitter move to get past the last defender and drilled a ball inside the far post.
That was Brett's team-best sixth goal of the year.
“It was a great pass, and I think getting those two goals at the end of the half really helped everybody going into the second half,” she said.
The lead allowed Snower to play multiple options in the second half. Elly Zern, another freshman forward of considerable promise, showed terrific instincts and abilities. Freshman midfielder Vanessa Murray also stood out with her touch, quickness and ability to get to the ball.
St. Ignatius (3-4-0, 0-1-0) stayed close for as long as it could.
“Loyola thought the best part of their team was going to be their defense,” Palacios said. “With Riley going down, it kind of flipped around, and I think their offense is just top notch. They really play four forwards with Murray in the middle, and that offense is only going to get better.”
The Ramblers’ defense has seemingly absorbed the loss of Riley, as much as possible.
“There is no way to replace Riley; she is a top 10 player in the state,” Snower said. ‘The first week was very difficult for us mentally as we had virtually no prep time between the injury and two great opponents in St. Charles North and Evanston.
“I still think we are going to be a very good offensive team. We showed some glimpses of that today. Steph knows how to score big goals. Maggie is on a good pace. The offense is not going to be the issue. Since the first game (against St. Charles North), we have not given up a goal except for a restart and now two (penalty kicks).”
Now the Ramblers face an elevated opponent in no. 2 Barrington in the Saturday afternoon debut of the North Shore Invitational, a high-profile tournament Loyola is hosting in collaboration with New Trier.
“This was a big conference game for us, because our in-season goal is always to win conference,” Snower said. “We are about to go into a set of really challenging games, and it is going to be a great evaluation of how far we far we have come since the first week.”
Starting lineups
Loyola
GK: Maggie Avery
D: Emily Chrisman
D: Lauren Daffada
D: Bella Broccolo
D: Faith Craddock
MF: Ally West
MF: Vanessa Murray
MF: Cate Shellenback
F: Maggie Brett
F: Stephanie Ramsay
F: Anna Perona
St. Ignatius
GK: Jessica Belica
D: Rachel Ryan
D: Sam Ritter
D: Brakari Du Boise
MF: Grace Campbell
MF: Shay Reifert
MF: Loraina Lopez
MF: Abby Gupta
F: Maura Murphy
F: Lexi Tieman
F: Alex Goslin
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the match: Stephanie Ramsay, jr., forward, Loyola