BALTIMORE – A clash between familiar rivals saw the Loyola Greyhounds eke out a narrow 1-0 victory over the Navy Midshipmen on Wednesday night at the Ridley Athletic Complex. The Patriot League encounter was sealed by a goal in the 13th minute, capitalizing on a defensive mistake by Navy.
The match continued the rivalry's recent history of nail-biting contests, as six of the last seven meetings have been decided by one-goal or overtime. Loyola improved to a 7-2 record, with a 2-0 tally in the Patriot League, while Navy fell to 5-2-3 and 1-1 in league play.
"It's tough to play an away match midweek; we did not come out with the collective energy we needed," said Navy head coach Carin Gabarra. "Loyola is a very organized and disciplined defensive team; it's hard to score goals on them."
Loyola opened the game on the offensive, receiving two offsides calls within the first six minutes. Their aggressive stance paid off at the 12:38 mark when Delaney DeMartino headed in a goal after a Navy defensive error.
In a rapid response, Navy's Katie Herrmann forced Loyola goalkeeper Paige Sim to make a save less than two minutes later. Navy goalkeeper Mattie Gallagher was also busy, making three important saves to maintain the one-goal margin throughout the first half. By halftime, Loyola had outshot Navy 8-3, with a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal.
The second half saw Navy actively seeking an equalizer. A promising moment came in the 49th minute when Amanda Graziano's one-timed shot sailed just wide of the target. The match's tension persisted as Gallagher deflected a dangerous shot by Baylee DeSmit in the 65th minute.
Despite their efforts, Navy could not break through Loyola's tightened defense, managing just two shots in the final 20 minutes. The game ended with Loyola holding a 17-7 shot advantage and a 6-2 lead in shots on goal. Gallagher was credited with five saves for Navy.
"This is shaping up to be a tight race to the finish. We need to identify and evaluate the positives and negatives from this game and get better from this loss," Gabarra remarked, emphasizing the competitive nature of the Patriot League this season.
Navy will have an opportunity to rebound on Saturday, as they face off against the Colgate Raiders in Hamilton, N.Y., at 4:30 p.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment