UMBC, Loyola Renew Baltimore Soccer Rivalry With Annual Blake Elliott Cup
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
The UMBC and Loyola University Maryland men’s soccer programs will renew their local rivalry this season while coming together to honor the life and legacy of Blake Elliott.
The schools have established the Blake Elliott Cup, an annual matchup between the two Baltimore-area programs. The inaugural game is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m. at Retriever Soccer Park in Catonsville.
The game will honor Elliott, the daughter of Rob and Belinda Elliott, who died in a car accident during the fall of 2025. Soccer played an important role in her life, and the Elliott family worked with UMBC head coach Anthony Adams and Loyola head coach Steve Nichols to create a lasting tribute through the sport she loved.
“Blake brought a light into this world that touched everyone she met,” the Elliott family said in the schools’ announcement. “Her beautiful spirit was filled with kindness and compassion.”
The family also thanked both programs and the Baltimore soccer community for helping preserve Elliott’s memory.
A Family Connection to Both Programs
The matchup carries additional meaning because of Rob Elliott’s history with UMBC and Loyola.
Elliott played three seasons at Loyola from 1989 through 1991 and remains among the top 25 players in program history in career points, goals and assists. His 28 career assists remain tied for fourth in Loyola history despite Elliott spending only three seasons with the Greyhounds.
He later completed his college career at UMBC in 1993. Elliott helped lead the Retrievers to a 15-3-1 record and earned Second Team All-Big South honors.
His 16 assists during the 1993 season remain UMBC’s single-season program record.
Adams was a teammate of Elliott’s at UMBC and said the renewed matchup provided the programs with an opportunity to support the Elliott family and an important cause.
“We received the blessing of the Elliott family and are now looking forward to a great night of Baltimore soccer while supporting the memory of an amazing young lady,” Adams said. “As a program, we are thankful and humbled to continue to celebrate the memory of Blake Elliott.”
Nichols called the creation of the annual game a significant moment for the entire Baltimore soccer community.
“To renew one of the best rivalries in college soccer is incredible for our soccer community,” Nichols said. “But to make it even more special is to honor the loving memory of Blake Elliott, a beautiful young lady who left us way too early.”
Renewing a Local Rivalry
UMBC and Loyola have not met in men’s soccer since Sept. 12, 2015, when the Greyhounds earned a 1-0 victory at Ridley Athletic Complex.
The programs played 10 times between 2000 and 2015, with Loyola holding a narrow 5-4-1 advantage during that stretch. UMBC won consecutive meetings in 2012 and 2013 before the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Catonsville in 2014.
The complete series dates to 1969. Loyola’s records list the Greyhounds with a 20-4-3 all-time advantage, although the renewed matchup will give the rivalry a new purpose beyond the final score.
Both programs have played major roles in the growth of soccer throughout Baltimore and Maryland. Turning the game into an annual event gives local players, alumni and supporters another opportunity to gather around two historic programs.
More importantly, it ensures Elliott’s name and impact will remain connected to Baltimore soccer for years to come.
Supporting the BE3 Foundation
Proceeds from the Blake Elliott Cup will benefit the Blake Elliott 3 Foundation, also known as the BE3 Foundation.
The organization was established to honor Elliott’s life by supporting young people and families, encouraging kindness and acceptance, creating opportunities in youth athletics and promoting animal care and safety.
Those goals reflect the qualities Elliott’s family and community members have emphasized when describing her life.
The inaugural Blake Elliott Cup will therefore represent more than the return of an old rivalry. It will connect two programs, one family and the Baltimore soccer community around a shared commitment to kindness, service and remembrance.
MSB Take
The creation of the Blake Elliott Cup is a meaningful way to renew a matchup that should have remained on the local soccer calendar.
UMBC and Loyola are separated by fewer than 15 miles, and both programs have deep connections throughout Maryland’s soccer community. An annual meeting gives fans an attractive local matchup while allowing both schools to recognize a family with significant ties to each program.
The most important part of the event, however, is its purpose.
By attaching Elliott’s name to an annual game and supporting the BE3 Foundation, UMBC and Loyola have created something that can make a positive impact well beyond one night at Retriever Soccer Park.
The first Blake Elliott Cup will be played Sunday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m. in Catonsville.
