Loyola field hockey tops Francis Parker for sectional title

Loyola Academy's field hockey team shut out Francis Parker 4-0 to win the IHSFHA sectional championship and punch its ticket to the state semifinals.

The Wilmette school announced the sectional title on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The Ramblers will face Lake Forest at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at Glenbrook North. A win sends Loyola to the championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at the same site. A loss means a third-place game at 11 a.m. that day.

Loyola enters the semifinal at 20-2-1 on the season with a 10-1 conference record. MaxPreps ranks the Ramblers No. 2 in Illinois and No. 43 nationally. Lake Forest, the No. 4-ranked team in the state, sits at 17-7-1.

North Shore field hockey fans could see a familiar showdown on Championship Saturday. New Trier, ranked No. 1 in Illinois at 22-1 by MaxPreps, also advanced to the state semifinals after beating Oak Park-River Forest, according to Top of the Circle, a field hockey rankings site. If both the Trevians and Ramblers win Thursday night, they would meet for the state title on Oct. 31.

That potential all-North Shore championship is two wins away.

North Shore field hockey week ahead

• Thursday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m. IHSFHA State Semifinal: Loyola Academy vs. Lake Forest at Glenbrook North. Winner advances to Saturday's championship game.
• Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. IHSFHA Third-Place Game at Glenbrook North.
• Saturday, Oct. 31, 1 p.m. IHSFHA Championship Game at Glenbrook North.