Loyola Men’s Soccer Falls to St. John’s, 5-0, in 2026 Season Opener
BALTIMORE — St. John’s scored twice in the opening 25 minutes and added three second-half goals as Loyola University Maryland men’s soccer opened the 2026 season with a 5-0 loss Thursday night at Ridley Athletic Complex.
The Red Storm controlled much of the match offensively, outshooting Loyola 17-6 and putting nine attempts on target. The Greyhounds were unable to record a shot on goal in the season-opening defeat.
St. John’s improved to 1-0, while Loyola fell to 0-1.
St. John’s Strikes Early
The Greyhounds found themselves chasing the match less than nine minutes after kickoff.
Brage Birkelund Eie opened the scoring at the 8:36 mark, finishing from approximately 10 yards out after receiving a pass from Xavi Abeijon. It gave St. John’s an early 1-0 advantage and set the tone for the opening half.
The Red Storm doubled the lead at 24:32.
Andrew Porucznik scored the second goal, with Birkelund Eie and Abeijon both earning assists. St. John’s carried the 2-0 advantage into halftime.
Loyola struggled to create dangerous attacking opportunities during the opening 45 minutes and could not find a response before the break.
Red Storm Pull Away After Halftime
Any hopes Loyola had of quickly cutting into the deficit were dealt another blow shortly after the second half began.
Luca Fargnoli scored at 51:12 off an assist from Camron Boumsong, extending the St. John’s lead to 3-0.
The Red Storm continued to apply pressure throughout the second half.
Birkelund Eie scored his second goal of the night in the 76th minute, redirecting an Ivar Na Aga attempt into the net to make it 4-0. Less than four minutes later, Aryeh Miller finished a Zander Romero corner kick for the fifth and final goal.
Birkelund Eie finished with two goals and an assist, playing a role in three of the Red Storm’s five scores.
Greyhounds Struggle to Generate Chances
Loyola finished with six total shots, compared with 17 for St. John’s.
Senior forward Nick Laffey led the Greyhounds with two attempts, but none of Loyola’s six shots were placed on goal. St. John’s finished with a 9-0 advantage in shots on target.
The Red Storm also held an 8-3 advantage in corner kicks.
Loyola’s goalkeeper made three saves, while St. John’s did not need to record a save because the Greyhounds never forced a shot on frame. The teams were relatively even in fouls, with St. John’s committing 12 and Loyola 10.
For Loyola, the biggest concern coming out of the opener will be finding ways to create higher-quality chances in the attacking third. Six shots over 90 minutes is difficult enough to overcome, but failing to put one on target made a comeback nearly impossible after St. John’s built its early advantage.
New-Look Loyola Opens Difficult Nonconference Schedule
The opener marked the beginning of another season under head coach Steve Nichols.
Loyola’s 2026 roster includes a mix of experienced returners and newcomers, including Laffey, Tyler Tucker, Cody Angelini, Ben Schouten and goalkeeper Connor O’Keefe, along with a large group of younger players.
The Greyhounds will have little time to dwell on Thursday’s result.
Their early nonconference schedule includes road matches against UMBC, Syracuse and NJIT before Loyola returns home to face Mount St. Mary’s on Sept. 4. Delaware then visits Ridley Athletic Complex on Sept. 8 before Patriot League play begins against Lehigh on Sept. 12.
That difficult early schedule should give Nichols and his staff plenty of opportunities to evaluate the roster before conference competition begins.
Blake Elliott Cup Up Next
Loyola’s next opportunity comes Sunday when the Greyhounds make the short trip across Baltimore to face UMBC.
The Greyhounds and Retrievers will meet at 6 p.m. on Aug. 23 in the Blake Elliott Cup, giving Loyola an immediate opportunity to respond against another local Division I opponent. The game is scheduled to stream on ESPN+.
The matchup will take on additional importance after Thursday’s result. Loyola will look for a cleaner defensive performance while also trying to generate more sustained possession and quality scoring opportunities.
MSB Take
A 5-0 loss is obviously not the way Loyola wanted to begin the season, but one game in August does not define what the Greyhounds can become.
The most concerning statistic was not necessarily the five goals allowed. It was the 0 shots on goal.
St. John’s was able to take control early, and once Loyola fell behind by multiple goals, the Greyhounds never generated enough attacking pressure to seriously threaten a comeback.
There is also plenty of season remaining.
Loyola has several experienced players mixed with a younger roster, and early nonconference matches are where teams learn what works and what needs to change. Sunday’s game against UMBC now becomes an important early test of how quickly the Greyhounds can respond.
The defensive mistakes can be corrected, but Loyola must find a way to create more dangerous chances going forward. If the Greyhounds can do that against UMBC, Thursday’s opener can quickly become a learning experience rather than something that defines the beginning of the season.
Final: St. John’s 5, Loyola Maryland 0
Next: Loyola at UMBC, Sunday, Aug. 23, 6 p.m.
