Men’s Soccer Rams Their Way to Victory Against Rhode Island

Loyola men’s soccer took on the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. Sept. 20. The match was the first Atlantic 10 (A10) match up of the 2025 season, marking a strong start for Loyola in conference play. 

The match began with both teams trading fouls back and forth, each side earning itself two free kicks before the 10-minute mark. Redshirt third-year goalkeeper Aidan Crawford made an early save for the Ramblers off a shot to the bottom left corner from first-year Rams defender Sebastian Berntsen. 

Rhode Island’s second-year forward Theo Harris took a shot on goal for the Rams, but his attempt was blocked. A shot by fourth-year forward Hugo Urdiales a few minutes later was deflected, but Loyola failed to build a successful play off the resulting corner kick. 

A shot on net by second-year defender Daniel Firs provided the Ramblers with another opportunity to score before it was saved by redshirt second-year Rams goalkeeper Caleb McNeil, keeping the score at a draw. 

Fouls on Rhode Island by second-year forward Arved von Vegesack and second-year midfielder David Siemionko fueled momentum for the Rams, which culminated in a shot from Rhode Island’s second-year defender Tim Huhnholz. With the assist from Berntsen, Huhnholz’s shot found the bottom right corner of Loyola’s net, putting the Rams up 1-0. 

The play resumed with a free kick for the Ramblers, taken by first-year defender and midfielder Joaquin Rodríguez. With the first half nearing an end and down by one, Loyola ramped up pressure on the Rams’ defense. 

The offensive efforts paid off for the Ramblers when a shot from Firs found the back of the net with less than 30 seconds to spare in the first half, bringing the halftime score to a draw at one. 

The second half kicked off with Rodríguez barreling a shot towards goal, but the attempt was blocked by a Rhode Island defender. The Rams answered with an unsuccessful shot to the bottom center of the net from first-year forward Kyler Vojvodic.

A corner kick from Loyola set up redshirt second-year defender Ameer Abdullah to take a shot on goal, but a save from McNeil held the score at one goal each. 

The play remained steady with both teams playing defensively until consecutive shots — both off target — from Rams fourth-year midfielder Parker Vasic and first-year midfielder Everson Goglia put pressure on Loyola’s defensive back line. 

As the time began to tick down, Rhode Island set up for a corner kick but failed to take advantage of the opportunity. 

Vojvodic took a shot on net in the 75th minute but was off target, keeping Loyola in the match. Harris followed Vojvodic’s attempt with a shot directly towards the bottom center of the net, allowing Crawford to add a save. 

Crawford bolstered energy for the Ramblers with two more saves in the 79th and 80th minutes after shots from Harris and Goglia threatened to give Rhode Island the upper hand. 

With eight minutes left of regular time, Loyola’s sustained defensive play and steady energy reaped rewards when a pass from second-year forward Beck Rettenmaier found the foot of second-year midfielder Luka Ivancic, who sent the ball soaring into the back of the net. 

Up 2-1, the Ramblers held the lead with Crawford saving a shot from Goglia in the top center of the net and warding off three consecutive corner kicks from the Rams. 

A yellow card on Crawford for time-wasting stalled the final two minutes of the match and brought the first round of A10 conference play to an end with a 2-1 win for the Ramblers. 

The team returns home to Hoyne Field for Loyola’s family weekend, where they’ll take on George Mason University Sept. 27 with a 3 p.m. kickoff. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.