Loyola Women’s Soccer Battles Stony Brook to Scoreless Draw

BALTIMORE — Loyola University Maryland women’s soccer continued to show its defensive toughness Thursday night, battling unbeaten Stony Brook to a 0-0 draw at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Neither side could break through during 90 minutes, but Loyola goalkeeper Hannah Goetzer and the Greyhounds’ defense delivered when it mattered most. Goetzer finished with three saves and made the biggest one with only six seconds remaining to preserve Loyola’s second consecutive shutout.

The draw moved Loyola to 0-1-4 overall, while Stony Brook remained unbeaten at 3-0-2.

Goetzer comes through again

Loyola has developed a habit of playing tight, defensive matches early this season, and Goetzer has been a major reason.

Stony Brook produced nine total shots Thursday, but the Seawolves could not put one past the Loyola goalkeeper.

The most important moment came in the final seconds.

Stony Brook’s Hedvig Helling managed an attempt with the match nearly over, but Goetzer stopped it with six seconds remaining to secure the clean sheet and a point for Loyola.

It continued an excellent defensive stretch for the Greyhounds. Loyola also played George Mason to a 0-0 draw Aug. 30, meaning the Greyhounds have now gone 180 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal.

Greyhounds create chances

Loyola was not simply sitting back and defending.

The Greyhounds finished with eight shots, only one fewer than Stony Brook, and put three attempts on target.

Katie Ormerod created one of Loyola’s better first-half opportunities when she forced Stony Brook goalkeeper Jona Hennings into a save in the 32nd minute.

Francesca Khachatourians became increasingly dangerous after halftime and tested Hennings twice during the second half.

The Greyhounds produced some of their best attacking pressure during the closing minutes.

Khachatourians had an attempt blocked in the 82nd minute before Brigid McElderry and Renee Wanzor each sent attempts wide.

Khachatourians then put another shot on target with less than a minute remaining, but Hennings made the save.

Moments later, Stony Brook went the other direction and nearly stole the match before Goetzer answered with her final save.

An evenly played match

The final statistics reflected how close the game was.

Stony Brook finished with a narrow 9-8 advantage in shots and held 53 percent of the possession compared with Loyola’s 47 percent.

Both teams put three shots on goal.

Loyola held the only advantage in corner kicks, 1-0.

For a Greyhounds team that has already faced a difficult nonconference schedule, holding an unbeaten Stony Brook team scoreless represents another solid defensive result.

Loyola becoming difficult to break down

Loyola’s record is unusual through five matches.

The Greyhounds have only one loss but are still searching for their first victory at 0-1-4.

Loyola opened the season with a 1-1 draw against William & Mary before earning an impressive 1-1 tie against then-No. 10 Arkansas. Princeton handed Loyola its only loss, 3-0, before the Greyhounds responded with consecutive scoreless draws against George Mason and Stony Brook.

That means Loyola has allowed only five goals through its first five matches, with three of those coming in the Princeton loss.

The Greyhounds have conceded only two goals across their other four games.

That is an encouraging defensive foundation as Patriot League play approaches.

The next challenge is turning some of these draws into victories.

MSB Take

Loyola may still be searching for its first win, but there is plenty to like about what the Greyhounds are building defensively.

Back-to-back clean sheets are significant, particularly when the second comes against a Stony Brook team that entered Ridley without a loss.

Goetzer continues to give Loyola stability in goal, and Thursday provided another example of why having an experienced goalkeeper can be so valuable. Her save with six seconds remaining was essentially the equivalent of scoring a game-tying goal at the other end.

The Greyhounds are also not simply absorbing pressure. Loyola nearly matched Stony Brook in shots and generated several late opportunities to win the match.

Now the next step is obvious.

Loyola needs goals.

Four draws through five games demonstrate how competitive this team has been, but eventually the Greyhounds need to turn these close matches into three points. If the defense continues playing at this level, Loyola does not need to suddenly become an offensive powerhouse. One goal could be enough on a lot of nights.

That makes the next few games particularly interesting.

The Greyhounds have already shown they can compete with a nationally ranked opponent in Arkansas and shut down quality teams such as George Mason and Stony Brook.

If the offense begins converting a few more of its opportunities, Loyola could become a difficult team to deal with when Patriot League play begins.

Up next

Loyola remains at Ridley Athletic Complex for another nonconference matchup Sunday, Sept. 6, when the Greyhounds host FDU.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

After FDU, Loyola’s challenging nonconference schedule continues with home matches against Iowa State on Sept. 10 and James Madison on Sept. 13 before the Greyhounds begin Patriot League play at Holy Cross on Sept. 20.