Men’s Soccer Settles for Scoreless Draw Against Saint Joseph’s

Loyola men’s soccer tallied a scoreless draw in the City of Brotherly Love during their fourth Atlantic 10 (A10) conference match against Saint Joseph’s University Oct. 8. While the Hawks had 11 shot attempts to the Ramblers’ four, both teams only produced one shot on goal. Loyola now stands 4-3-5 overall and 1-1-2 in conference play.

The first half showed a struggle in the midfield as both teams were unyielding in their defensive action. Two minutes in, the Hawks were fouled after possession struggles.

The following 16 minutes of play produced no offensive attempts as fouls continued to be traded. The Ramblers received three fouls on second-year midfielder and forward Benji Chavarria, second-year midfielder Luka Ivancic and second-year defender Nicholas Roe.The Hawks were given two more on second-year midfielder and forward Sebastian Perez-Gasiba and graduate midfielder Glen Lala.

In the 20th minute, the Hawks broke through Loyola’s line of defense in order for Saint Joseph’s graduate forward and midfielder Tommaso Rossetto to take the first shot of the match. In a hard drive, Rossetto kicked out on the left, and seconds later, the Ramblers were awarded the first corner.

Following a foul on fourth-year forward Hugo Urdiales, Rossetto tried again for the net but was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.

The Hawks were awarded two consecutive corners only minutes apart when fourth-year midfielder Ben Bischof received a yellow card, making it the first for Loyola. By the end of the match, both teams tallied three cards each.

In the 30th minute, Rossetto took his third and final attempt for the Hawks when he drove a hard line 18 yards out from the net, but the ball flew over the top right of the post.

The next six minutes produced a yellow card for the Hawks’ fourth-year midfielder Matteo Mazzotta, as well as redshirt second-year defender Ameer Abdullah. Amidst the cautions, the Hawks’ third-year defender Cassidy Tanddo found a clearing on the pitch but drove the ball out on the right.

Seconds later, the Ramblers found their first offensive opportunity with Ivancic at the helm, but the effort was denied as the ball went out on the left. A minute later, the Hawks were awarded an unsuccessful corner.

After a handball in Loyola’s box, the Hawks were given a penalty kick. As Mazzotta took what could’ve been a game-changing goal, his shot instead soared over the post, and the match remained tied.

With five minutes left in the half, players from both sides took last-minute attempts to score. Second-year defender Daniel Firs sent a drive to the right of the net, but the ball was off target. Following a corner for the Hawks, third-year Saint Joseph’s defender Diego Avelar sent the ball out on the right.

As the backlines remained strong for both teams, the second half started with a struggle for possession of the ball as fouls were traded for the first few minutes. A yellow card was given to first-year defender and midfielder, Joaquin Rodríguez for unsporting.

In the 56th minute, a cross was mishandled in the box by third-year goalkeeper Gabe Velasco, resulting in Lala gaining possession. As he kicked to the bottom right, Loyola’s defense was quick to intercept its entrance.

Third-year forward Petar Janjic registered the third shot for Loyola in the 62nd minute, but the ball went out wide on the left.

After an unsuccessful corner for the Hawks, Saint Joseph’s graduate defender Kobe Perlaza gained possession of the ball and sailed it past Loyola’s defense, only for it to be denied by the top of the woodwork.

The Hawks continued to hold the ball as the rebound fell to Saint Joseph’s fourth-year midfielder Luke Johnson, who failed to capitalize on the possession and drove it out to the right in the 76th minute.

After an ineffective shot made by Lala, fourth-year forward Angel Mendez was fouled, and the referees proceeded to hand out the final yellow card of the game to Johnson.

The final three minutes of the match were spent with both teams trying to break through offensively. Urdiales took Loyola’s final opportunity and sent a hard drive to the top of the goal, where it met the Hawks’ redshirt third-year goalkeeper Cooper Jennings. Right at the 90-minute mark, Saint Joseph’s second-year midfielder and forward Sebastian Perez-Gasiba sent a futile shot out on the top left.

Following the scoreless match, head coach Steve Bode reflected optimistically on the outcome as well as looked to the future as the Ramblers near the end of scheduled A10 conference play.

“Tonight was a hard-fought A10 match,” Bode said. “A lot of physical duels with few chances created by either team. Our effort and commitment to secure the shutout were impressive. Points in this conference never come easy. Now we turn our focus to recovery before going back at it on Saturday against La Salle.”

The Ramblers will return to Hoyne field Oct. 18 where they are set to match up against Virginia Commonwealth University for Alumni weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m..