A hard-fought battle that led to double overtime ended in a draw as American University men’s soccer (2-1-1) and the Loyola Greyhounds (1-1-1) each scored once in the match. Defense was key throughout the match as the Greyhounds put consistent offensive pressure on the Eagles.
AU was outshot by the Greyhounds, taking only four shots the entire match, compared to Loyola’s 19. Yet the Eagles defense held firm, and allowed just four of those 19 shots to come on goal.
The Eagles rotated their goalkeepers at the half as they have continuously done this season. During the first half, senior goalkeeper Jake Agnew had one save in the match, while freshman goalkeeper Lorenzo Gordon had two in the second half.
Junior forward David Coly scored the Eagles’ lone goal of the match, as he continued to be a thorn in the side of opposing teams. Freshman midfielder Kevin Ventura set the goal up with a long kick into the Greyhounds goalbox from the other side of the field right to Coly, allowing Coly to finish with a strike.
“Kevin filled in for Mal [McGovern] in the last Loyola game. We didn’t have Mal available to us, so Kevin stepped up and did a great job,” head coach Zach Samol said postgame. “I think he deserved to play again today and I thought Kevin was good again today; he’s very solid.”
Saturday was marked as this short season’s Senior Day as six seniors were honored before the game with a plaque. Without the leadership of these extraordinary seniors, coach Samol believes the season may not have even happened in the first place.
“This senior class, as opposed to [the] last senior class, there’s a lot more belief, a lot more sacrifice, discipline,” Samol said postgame. “There’s a lot more ‘well, alright, this is what we gotta do, then we’ll do it if that is what we have to do to play.’ But it’s not just about playing. These guys want to win. So, I think that’s a big thing here.”
The Eagles will look to close out the regular season with a win next Saturday against Navy.
