The women’s soccer team suffered a tough Patriot League loss at the Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Saturday October 6th. The team fell 0-1 to Holy Cross—bringing the Hounds to 1-4 in Patriot League play and 5-8 overall.

Although our girls more than doubled Holy Cross in attempted shots with 15-7, none of them found their mark, and Holy Cross goalie Sophia Lettieri made an astounding seven saves. Hannah Hoefs, ’19, and Claire Beathe, ’21, led Loyola’s persistent attack, but each scoring attempt fell short. Holy Cross’ Kelly Crowley headed in the match’s only goal in the 28th minute off a corner kick from Ang Seslija.

The Greyhounds played quickly to start, creating multiple scoring opportunities in the first few minutes. Lettieri and her defense held off each advance, but it looked as though Loyola would break through midway through the first half.

Holy Cross managed to earn a corner kick in one of their few early scoring chances and took advantage. Seslija sent a beautiful ball into the box that only Crowley could reach, and Crowley took advantage, putting the Crusaders up at 27:48.

Hoefs had multiple shot attempts blocked by the Holy Cross defense. Ariel Tillman, ‘22, made her push late in the first half with two shots, but one was blocked, and Lettieri saved the other.

Numerous other Loyola shots sailed wide, and despite their efforts, they went into the locker room empty-handed. Greyhound goalie Sumer Rahe, ’19, did her part for the match, recording five saves and keeping her team in the match.

Loyola continued to create quality opportunities as they earned corner kicks in the 55th and 64th minutes but failed to capitalize. Seslija created some chances of her own for Holy Cross, but Rahe stopped her to keep her team within striking distance. Holy Cross’ defense bent but didn’t break, and the Crusaders earned the win.

The women’s team continue their stretch of Patriot League play next Saturday, October 13th as the Terriers of Boston University come to Ridley. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

The men’s soccer team traveled to West Point on Sunday night and earned a conference win, defeating the Army Black Knights 2-0 at Clinton Field. The Hounds are now 2-1-1 in the Patriot League and 6-3-1 overall.

Although the teams were almost even in their scoring opportunities, Loyola finished, and Army did not. Barry Sharifi, ’20, had a goal and an assist to lead the team’s scoring. Josh Fawole, ‘20, also scored, while Brian Saramago, ’20, and Stephen Nichols, ’22, each recorded an assist. Goalie Chase Vosvick, ’21, stopped Army’s three shots on goal to earn his fifth shutout of the year.

Sharifi opened the scoring in the 20th minute off a cross from Saramago to set the tone for the rest of the half. The Hounds earned several scoring chances in the following minutes, including two crosses from Davey Mason, ’20, that Fawole failed to connect with. This trend continued into the second half with Saramago narrowly missing his mark twice in the 53rd and 55th minutes.

Army began to go on the offensive, having gained a newfound confidence after surviving multiple Greyhound advances. Sharifi started a counter attack and found Nichols who found Fawole streaking to the goal. Fawole handled this pass just fine and buried the shot in the 71st minute, expanding the lead to 2-0. Loyola’s defense settled in after that, and Vosvick stuffed Army’s last shots on goal in the 77th and 89th minutes to secure the win.

The men return to Ridley Athletic Complex on Friday, October 12 at 7:00 pm to take on another Patriot League foe: the Boston Terriers. Both teams are 2-1-1 in conference play so far, making this a key conference matchup.

Feature Image: Courtesy of Craig Chase