Loyola fends off New Trier

Updated: May 24, 2011 10:50AM

Loyola coach John Dwyer reminded his team after Monday’s victory over New Trier that no big trophy is forthcoming.

Even though the Ramblers and Trevians met for the state championship the last three years, this spring’s playoff game came in the second round.

Didn’t matter.

Both teams played like something special was on the line, and two-time defending state champion Loyola came out on top with the 16-14 win in front of several hundred fans at Evanston.

“It doesn’t take away from the win,” Loyola senior Nicole Gleason said of the early playoff matchup with the Ramblers’ biggest rival. “Any time we beat them is good for us.”

The sectional championship earned the Ramblers a trip to their own supersectional Wednesday against Glenbrook South. Loyola beat the Titans 19-3 on April 12.

“It’s important for us to remember that we didn’t win a state championship,” said Loyola coach John Dwyer, whose team hasn’t lost to an in-state opponent and improved to 18-2. “But we took a huge step.”

Loyola took a 4-0 lead in the first four minutes on goals by four players and never trailed. But New Trier rallied to tie the game at 5-all midway through the first half.

“We came out strong,” said the Villanova-bound Gleason, who finished with two goals. “We wanted to get those draws and possess the ball. We exploded on offense.

“We really didn’t let them back in the game.”

After the Trevians equaled the score, Kelsey Gallagher and Stephanie Scherer each scored twice to run the Ramblers to a 9-5 lead. Loyola went into the break up 10-7.

The Ramblers extended their advantage to five on four occasions in the second half, the last time on Gleason’s second goal.

The Trevians (19-3) made the match interesting by scoring three goals in the final 11 minutes, but the Ramblers were able to run out the clock.

Both of New Trier’s losses in Illinois came to Loyola. The Ramblers earned a 12-11 win on May 4.

Gallagher led Loyola with five goals, while Scherer followed with four scores. Janie Gion and Kelsey Murray each scored five goals for the Trevians.

Loyola goalie Emily Nimrod made several key saves throughout the match to keep the Trevians at a distance.

“These were two very good teams,” said Dwyer, who heaped praise on assistants Kim Connors, Elizabeth Kadison, Elizabeth Pinney and Abby Bangser. “We prepared so much for this game in the last couple of weeks.

“But we’re not done. We have three games to go, and we hope to finish the job in two weeks.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.