Loyola Girl’s Field Hockey snagged a crucial 2-0 win Tues, March 23, against an up-and-coming ETHS team.

Loyola prevailed with a pair of first half goals by Caroline Smith and Carson Pike. The goals were assisted by Sophia Sohigian and Maggie Dooley, respectively. Loyola’s goals showcased the versatility of their offense, with the first goal coming from a powerful shot near the edge of the circle and the second coming from a scrappy finish off of the goalkeeper’s pads.

In a back and forth game that featured a strong emphasis on possession by Loyola and an emphasis on long passes by ETHS, Loyola put up a strong showing. In the rainy weather contains on The Hill, the Ramblers remained composed, sticking to their triangle-oriented offense and using their speed to get the ball up the field.

The game was marred by bad reffing, with many missed calls on both sides that increased as the game went on. Only one corner was called throughout the entire game, in the 4th quarter for Loyola.

The game was viewed with anticipation by Loyola, who were excited for a challenge against another rising team like themselves. Both teams have improved in recent years, and ETHS dramatically so, going from an easy win to a tough challenge and a test of Loyola’s ability.

ETHS went from being ranked 20th in the state in 2018, to ranked being ranked 9th last year. Loyola has also improved in recent years, hovering around #6 in the state and having a very impressive start to the season so far.

With Tuesday’s win, Loyola improves to 5-1. Their lone loss came from a 2-0 loss against New Trier, the reigning state champions.

After a busy week that featured four games, the Ramblers get to enjoy a week-long break. They play next on Wednesday, in an away game against Highland Park.