Soccer Teams to start MAAC Play this Week

This weekend on DGA Field the Women’s Soccer Team will host a pair of games against Iona and Fairfield to kickoff their ’08 conference schedule. Loyola is the defending conference champion and will head into MAAC play having won their last two matches over Villanova and American. Their tough preconference schedule has them well prepared for the rigors of playing familiar opponents, and Coach Katherine Vettori expects her group to keep their momentum going. Kickoff against the Gaels will be at 4:30 this afternoon and Sunday’s game against the Stags will begin at 1PM.

As for the 16th ranked Men’s Soccer Team, they will have a one more test to pass before they get started in MAAC play. They will take the field at home in DGA Field against Quinnipiac Saturday afternoon at 1 o’clock, which will conclude their preconference schedule (pending if the UMBC game is made up or not). Already having played high caliber opponents the schedule gets no easier as Loyola will have the unenviable task of starting in conference on the road taking on the two Buffalo schools, Niagara next Friday and Cansius next Sunday.

In the past weeks action, after being rained out against UMBC the ‘Hounds collected a hard fought 1-0 victory over the Princeton Tigers on Wednesday afternoon. Eddie Dines was able to knock a header in with 12 minutes left to play to give Loyola the winning tally. As what is now expected the defense was stellar and frustrated Tiger attackers all afternoon. Now time to update the streaks… The win ups the Greyhounds unbeaten streak to 16, the shutout is their 12th consecutive at home, and they have now won 22 of their last 23 overall and 15 straight on DGA Field – Unreal.