Oct. 4, 2009
Contact: Brian McCann
CLEVELAND -- Junior goalie Kelly Zinkiewich posted her second consecutive shutout, making a season-high eight saves in a 0-0 double overtime tie against Loyola on Sunday afternoon.
The tie improved CSU to 1-9-1 on the year and 1-1-1 in league play, good for fourth place. Loyola slips to 3-9-2 overall and 2-2-2 in conference action.
The tie also snapped a five-match losing streak to the Ramblers, improving the Vikings to 0-5-1 all-time against its rival from Chicago.
"this was a pretty good weekend for us," CSU head coach Derrek Falor said. "To come into it with an eight-match losing streak and then get four points in the league race by recording a win and a tie is outstanding. We are finally playing like we are capable of."
"Loyola is a good team. They have some big, strong and physical mid-fielders who really do a nice job of controlling play. We had to learn how to work around them and get creative in order to create scoring opportunities for ourself.
"I have to credit out defense. It isn't exactly the unit I pictured during the preseason, but we have put together a group that is gritty, fights hard and bends but doesn't break."
The game was a defensive battle from the onset as Loyola had a 16-6 edge in shots but had very few good scoring opportunities, opting for longer shots instead of working the ball into the box.
Cleveland State's only shot on goal came 1:16 into the match when Jaime Avona blasted a shot that Katie Groesch had to leave her feet to stop.
The match settled into a battle over the midfield area with Lyola controlling the ball for the majority of time with the Vikings making longer passes towards goal in an attempt to take advantage of the rambler defense, which continually pressed forward, sometimes to as far as 15 yards over midfield.
Loyola's best scoring opportunity came in the 75th minute when following a corner kick, Tessa Daniels got her foot on a loose ball in the box, launching a shot that hit the crossbar and ricocheted
In overtime, Loyola had the only good scoring chances as Zinkiewich had to make a pair of saves off long shots to secure the tie.
"Kelly did a great job both today and all weekend to record a pair of shutouts," Falor said. "When she takes control of the goal and plays like she did this weekend, we become a very hard team to beat."
The tie vaults the Vikings into fourth place in the Horizon League. Wright State and Milwaukee lead the loop with 3-0 marks (9 points) followed by Loyola at 2-2-2 (8 points). CSU's four points are ahead of Butler, Detroit and Valparaiso, which has each won one match for three points.
The top six teams in the final standings earn a spot in the Horizon League Championships this year.
CSU takes to the road this week, playing at both Milwaukee (Friday, Oct. 9) and Milwaukee (Sunday, Oct. 11).
