Men's Soccer Keeps the Ball Rolling

Two more games, two more victories for the now ranked 23rd ranked team in the country – the Loyola men’s soccer team. While many of us were watching the NFL’s opening games last Sunday, the Greyhounds were busy defeating their Baltimore County rival, the Towson Tigers, 2-1in front of an outspoken and unforgiving group of students who made the trip up Charles Street.

Loyola found themselves trailing for the first time in the young season after Towson scored with about 10 minutes remaining in the first half. It was the first - and only - goal allowed by goaltender Milos Kocic and the Loyola defense this year. However, sophomore forward Phil Bannister, a freshmen All-American last Fall, would provide an answer, burying a shot with under 2 minutes left before half to knot the score at 1 at intermission. It wouldn’t be the only time Bannister got the best of the Tiger defense; he scored the game winner in the 88th minute as the game looked on its way to OT. Bannister tallied on a header that found the back of the net off a pass headed by teammate Eddie Dines.

On Wednesday back on the Evergreen Campus the Greyhounds played host to the defending Atlantic Sun champs, Campbell University. The game was a perfect model of what has made this team so successful over the last two seasons – score first and play great defense. Dines, a sophomore midfielder picked up the lone goal of the game minutes into the second half and the back line of Josh Taylor, Glenn Leitch, and Tennant McVea did the dirty work in front of Kocic to insure victory. The shutout was the team’s 3rd in 4 games this year and dating back to last season its 10th consecutive on the DGA turf.