The men’s soccer team scored four goals and came within seconds of a shutout in their 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Tuesday night. The Greyhounds improved to 6-7 on the season, which includes a 4-1 record at Ridley Athletic Complex. NJIT dropped to 5-4-4.

Loyola’s three leading scorers all found the back of the net, as Barry Sharifi ’20, Josh Fawole ’20, and Brian Saramago ‘20 each put in a goal. The team’s fourth score came off an errant deflection by a NJIT defender. In goal, Chase Vosvick ‘21 had three saves.

Both sides played aggressively on the offensive end. Although NJIT outshot Loyola 18-15, the Hounds had a stark advantage in shots on goal (11-4). This allowed them to strike first in the 30th minute when a shot from Saramago rebounded right to Fawole, who finished the second chance opportunity.

Fawole drew a foul in the box a few minutes later, which allowed Sharifi to step forward and nail a penalty kick to the lower right corner. Sharifi leads the Hounds in scoring with five goals on the year.

Loyola went into the locker room at halftime with a 2-0 lead. They survived a penalty kick attempt by NJIT early in the second half, as the shot bounced off the crossbar. 

Sharifi had a free kick opportunity in the 63rd minute, but this one was saved by goalie Victor Pujades. The shot rebounded out to Davey Mason ‘20, who sent the ball back into the box while the possession was still unsettled. It bounced off an NJIT defender and rolled into the net, giving the Hounds a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Loyola expanded their lead with an insurance goal in the 84th minute. Justin Ingram ‘21 sent a corner kick into the box, where Saramago deflected it past Pujades for the fourth score of the evening. 

NJIT managed to avoid a shutout in the final minute when Rene White scored his 12th goal of the season off a volley. White’s 12 goals put him in fourth in Division I for goals.

Featured Image Courtesy of Loyola Athletics.