Loyola men’s soccer met fellow Patriot League foe American University under the lights at Ridley Athletic Complex this past Wednesday night in a battle between storied rivals. American came out on top in this year’s battle, 3-0. Post match, Loyola remains winless in the Patriot League, while American gained its first League victory of the season.

Both teams came out strong in the first half, with impressive defense on each end of the field. American controlled possession on their offensive end for the first 10 minutes of the match, but Loyola’s defense remained strong against multiple shot attempts. The Greyhounds gained more offensive opportunities as the half went on, but American’s defense held out against all of Loyola’s offensive attempts.

After a scoreless first half, American junior Chris Fanet, assisted by fellow junior teammate Joe Iraola, netted one for the Eagles in the 52nd minute. This early goal was a wake-up call for Loyola, whose hustle increased right from the following kick off.

However, the Greyhounds weren’t able to keep up this momentum, allowing Eagles sophomores Vinny Barone and Joel Hart to score back-to-back goals in the 67th and 68th minutes. Despite the score, Loyola goalie Matt Sanchez held the Greyhounds together with an astounding 11 saves.

Once the deficit began, Loyola started to get frantic, not taking advantage of their man-up opportunity when American’s Joel Hart was thrown a yellow card. Within the final minutes of the game, the Greyhounds barely took any shots and settled the ball when they gained possession. Loyola remained scoreless and ended up falling to American.

Loyola travels to Boston University Saturday, October 10, before traveling to Lehigh University on Saturday, October 17. The Hounds will return home to Ridley to face off against Drexel University on Tuesday, October 20.