PHILADELPHIA – Senior captain Rylee Henson sent the third-seeded La Salle women's soccer team to the semifinals of the 2026 Betterment Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Tournament, netting a game-winning header in the 65th minute to defeat sixth-seeded Loyola Chicago 1-0 on a rainy Friday night at McCarthy Stadium.
The victory marks three straight wins and a six-of-eight surge for the Explorers, who improved to 10-5-4 overall and returned to the A10 semifinals for the first time since 2023. Loyola Chicago ended the 2026 season with a 7-4-8 overall record.
Henson delivered the decisive moment for the Explorers, rising high from the edge of the six-yard box to head home a corner kick for her second goal of the season. The dramatic game-winner marked the second goal of Henson's 61-game career, while junior midfielder Ella Cadigan recorded her league-leading 11th assist of the 2026 campaign. Coincidentally, Henson entered the game tied for second in the A10 with seven assists.
La Salle threatened early in the eighth minute when Kennedy Erdman struck the crossbar, narrowly missing a chance to put the Explorers ahead. The attack kept up the pressure throughout the first half, but Loyola Chicago's back line blocked multiple shots to keep the match scoreless.
The Explorers nearly broke through in the 37th minute. Justyce Hollenbach, the A10's leading goal scorer, launched a dangerous left-footed strike from outside the 18-yard box, but Allison Deardorff made a diving save to protect the deadlock heading into halftime.
Loyola Chicago forced pressure early after the break, forcing La Salle's junior goalkeeper Samantha Widnick to make a critical save in the 57th minute to keep the Ramblers off the board. Widnick earned her 10th win of the season, including her fifth shutout victory.
After her breakthrough in the 65th minute, Henson nearly doubled the lead later in the half with a free kick in the 74th minute, but Deardorff made a leaping save to tip the ball over the crossbar.
With their season on the line, the Ramblers unleashed a desperate, late-game onslaught, whipping a lethal cross into the box in the 83rd minute. The Explorers' back line refused to bend, weathering the momentary storm to preserve the clean sheet and punch their ticket to the semifinals.
La Salle now awaits its semifinal opponent, with the remaining two Atlantic 10 quarterfinal matchups set to kick off on Saturday, Nov. 7. Because the highest remaining seeds host the tournament rounds, an upset loss by either top-seeded Saint Louis or second-seeded Dayton would allow the Explorers to host the semifinal match at McCarthy Stadium on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
