The men’s soccer team fought until the last second to earn a gritty 1-1 draw on the road against No. 2 Wake Forest on Tuesday night, landing them a spot on SportCenter’s Top 10 plays the next morning. The Hounds’ first draw of the season keeps them at .500 and at fourth place in the Patriot League. Wake Forest, a mainstay in the national rankings this season, now has a record of 12-2-1.

Josh Fawole ’20 took a perfectly placed pass from Eddy Rodriguez ’21 and tucked the ball under the top crossbar to tie the game with 12 seconds left.  Fawole’s highlight goal made the #6 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays last Wednesday.

Wake Forest opened the scoring early on, as last year’s ACC Midfielder of the Year, Bruno Lapa, sent a bouncing shot into the lower right corner. The Demon Deacons controlled the pace of play throughout the game, leading the Hounds in shots (15-12), corner kicks (8-3), and saves (5-3). Loyola held a slight advantage in shots on goal (6-4).

Chase Vosvick ’21 had three saves in goal for the Greyhounds. After giving up the early goal, he settled in and made all three of his saves by the 33rd minute. Most of the Hounds’ scoring opportunities came in the second half, but the Wake Forest backline would not budge. 

Eddy Rodriguez stood with the ball in the back right corner of Loyola’s offensive zone with 20 seconds remaining. With two Demon Deacons converging, he sent a bending pass into the box, where Fawole slipped away from his defender and lifted the ball with his right foot over the goalie’s head and under the top crossbar.

Loyola managed to get two more shots on goal in overtime, but they could not complete the upset. Before this game, Wake Forest had outscored their opponents 25-4 at home on the season. The Hounds have done well against top competition this year, earning a 3-3 record against teams that made the NCAA Tournament a season ago.

Featured Image Courtesy of Loyola Athletics.