Loyola Men’s Soccer Battles in a Tough 1-1 Draw against Duquesne

On a sunny Saturday afternoon Sept. 23, the Loyola men’s soccer team fought to a standstill against Atlantic-10 conference opponent Duquesne University, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw at Hoyne Field.

Fresh off a 4-2 victory over DePaul University, Loyola — who started the match with a 5-1-2 record and an A-10 record of 1-0 — looked to continue building on a two-game win streak. Duquesne, who had just suffered a 2-0 loss to Xavier University, entered with a record of 4-2-1 and a A-10 record of 1-0.

Head coach Steve Bode acknowledged the disappointment that came with the draw.

“Nothing’s a given in this league,” Bode said. “We got one point today. We’re dissatisfied for sure — we feel like we deserve more. But at the same time, we did get the point.”

Duquesne started the match with possession of the ball after kick-off but gave it away almost immediately. Loyola’s fourth-year defender Julian Cisernos was the first to create an offensive chance in the match, with an attempted cross which found little success.

Some time passed before the next big offensive chance by Loyola third-year forward John Gates in the sixth minute. This attempt at an inside pass from the left side of the net sailed harmlessly past Duquesne’s third-year goalkeeper Zoltan Nagy.

Both sides continued to try to find an offensive rhythm as strong pressing and reactive defenders proved to be difficult to work around. In the ninth minute, another golden shot opportunity by Gates from just inside the box was saved by Nagy — his first denial of many.

In the 10 minutes following Gates’ attempt, the Ramblers attempted to capitalize and got off four more unsuccessful shots. The Dukes’ got their first shot off in the 32nd minute when recently subbed-on second-year forward Evan Anderson managed a slow dribble that was collected by the Ramblers’ redshirt first-year goalkeeper Aidan Crawford. A minute later in the following Loyola possession, Anderson was given a yellow card for dissent.

The final few minutes of the first half were uneventful as an offsides call, a foul call and a single shot rounded out at a 0-0 standstill.

After the second half began, several stretches of possessive play yielded little result. Each side was given a respective foul but neither team was able to create a proper scoring chance. 

In the 55th minute, Loyola’s offensive rhythm improved, marked by two consecutive shots from Gates that were deflected away by the Duke’s defense. Poor clearance by the Dukes ended in a Loyola free kick, which made it into the box but fell short when a shot from first-year defender Noel Hansson dribbled right of the post.

Two minutes later, a high shot from fifth-year midfielder Markus Maurer was punched away by a leaping Nagy, which led to a corner kick. The corner kick resulted in a header from senior forward Oscar Dueso that tested Nagy again, but he reacted quickly and scooped up the ball. 

Loyola continued to press its hot hand, getting off four more shots in as many minutes. The Duquesne backline continued to hold steady, bolstered by the efforts of Nagy.

In the 63rd minute, Duquesne broke it open and got on the board. An aerial pass from the right side by fourth-year forward Tate Mahoney was finished by second-year midfielder Nate Dragisich with a header, deflecting off Crawford’s hand and making its way into the net.

The Ramblers stormed down the field and equalized the match less than a minute later. A corner kick taken by third-year defender Benni Hoffman sailed over several players before third-year defender Lukas Ender thundered it into the goal with a header — his first goal of the season.

After the sides balanced out, neither could retake the advantage. In the 76th minute, the Dukes managed to take a shot and achieve two consecutive corners to no avail.

Both teams nearly fell victim to strong counterplay in the following minutes but were able to maintain their cool and prevent any further damage.

In the final 10 minutes, fatigue set in, but both sides ramped up their efforts. A physical foul was called in the 87th minute, and a yellow card was given to Duquesne’s fourth-year midfielder Cameron Territo for a tough tackle. Additionally, the home team audience became louder and more active as the clock ticked down.

With three minutes left, Dusquesne made a very solid push into Loyola’s final third, but a strong tackle from Hannson kept the Dukes at bay.

With a minute left in the match, a Dusqenue cross that went wide allowed Loyola to attempt a quick counter attack. Solid passing along the right wing gave Loyola a last gasp opportunity where a long range attempt was easily caught by Nagy. 

Nagy held onto the ball for several seconds before finally punting it. The ball fell harmlessly in midfield as the buzzer for the second half sounded and the match officially ended.

While the Ramblers were able to create several quality attacks behind Dusquesne’s back line, they were squandered by the agile Nagy, who caught almost everything that came his way and finished the game with a career high of 10 saves.

Bode commented on how tough Nagy’s performance was to the team’s psyche.

“You just try to stay persistent with it,” Bode said. “Not get frustrated by the fact that the keepers are making all these saves. Trying to put the ball where it’s dangerous and make the most of the chances.”

Loyola had 20 shots and five corners, a stark comparison to Duquesne’s four shots and three corners. Additionally, Nagy had to work hard and recorded 10 saves, whereas Crawford finished with just two. Each team recorded seven fouls.

Loyola’s next matchup Tuesday, Sept. 27 will be a non-conference away game against Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. with broadcasting to be determined.

Featured image by Aidan Cahill | The Phoenix