By Patrick Taylor Sports Editor
The Loyola Men's Soccer team got off to a good start in MAAC play on Saturday, defeating Rider University by a score of 3-0.
The win came after a close loss to non-conference opponent Navy on Tuesday, a game that ended with Loyola conceding the golden goal in extra time.
Saturday's competition was huge for the Hounds, who came into the match with a record of 3-6-1, something they are not quite accustomed to.
It didn't take long for the Hounds to strike, with senior co-captain and Hermann Trophy candidate Jamie Darvill scoring the game's first goal in only the second minute of play.
After a Rider foul about 40 yards away from the net, Darvill hit in an in-swinging ball that carried over the head of the helpless Rider keeper, conjuring up images of Ronaldinho's famous strike against England in the 2002 World Cup, only a little bit farther out.
That goal was the only one of the half, but the Hounds were still able to apply pressure and keep Rider on their heels.
Minutes after Darvill's wonder-goal, junior Glenn Leitch almost got his name on the score sheet but was denied from the right side.
Phil Bannister, a junior from Newcastle, England, had a handful of shots in the first half of play, but came up empty handed for his troubles.
The second half started much like the first half, with Darvill and the Hounds getting on the score sheet early.
Goalkeeper Kyle Wittman punted a ball down the field, which Bannister collected and calmly flicked over to Darvill who buried the shot in the lower corner for his second goal of the game.
The pressure really picked up a notch in the second half with the Hounds determined to keep a rare lead.
The attack kept on pressing forward following the inspiring play of Darvill, and he almost collected his third of the match in the 58th minute, but his shot was stopped. Eddie Dines and Wade McHugh came close as well, but their efforts were dealt with.
In the 64th minute of the contest, Bannister again turned provider for Darvill, slotting a perfectly timed pass past the Rider defense sending Darvill through on goal to beat the keeper for his hat trick.
"Rider was a good performance that has got us back on track," said Dines. "If Darvill doesn't win the Hermann Trophy after this performance it will be an injustice."
The outcome never seemed in doubt for the Hounds, and they dealt with the first MAAC competition of the season like a team who desperately needed a win.
The Hounds outshot Rider 16-9, and Wittman came up big for Loyola with five saves on the day to preserve the shutout.
"It was great to get off to a winning start in the conference," Darvill said. "We played some good football and we will now hop to build on this and keep improving."
The victory was especially big after falling to Navy in a close competition last tuesday.
The match against Navy started off slow with very few opportunities in the first half of play. The Hounds did well with possession, and actually played some of the best soccer they've played all year, making Navy chase the game, but they were unable to turn possession into opportunities.
The second half began with Navy pressing the Hounds, and about fifteen minutes into the half the Midshipmen scored the opening goal of the contest.
With the score 1-0, Loyola began to press more, and it wasn't long before the score was tied again.
Only minutes after Navy took the lead, Darvill leveled the score after a long ball by Wittman got poked to him by Bannister. Darvill beat his man and coolly put one by the keeper.
Loyola continued to press for the rest of regulation with Bannister and Leitch coming agonizingly close to scoring, but coming up short.
Regulation ended with the score tied, sending the game into extra time. It only took about two minutes for the Midshipmen to convert an opportunity off of a rebounded shot, ending the game and handing Loyola it's sixth loss of the year.
"Navy was a very tough loss to take as we played some good soccer, but we just couldn't convert our chances," said Dines.
The Hounds ended the game with an advantage in shots and corner kicks, but as Dines said, lack of scoring held the Hounds back.
Even with this loss, Loyola still played some of the best soccer they've played all year, and kept that play going into Saturday for a big win in conference play.
Getting off to a good start in the MAAC was crucial for the Hounds after a rough non-conference schedule did a number on Loyola's record.
Loyola (4-6-1) now has to wait until Friday when they play Canisius at 5 p.m. at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field, followed by another home contest on Sunday against Niagra.
The second half of the year is when Loyola will need to play strong if they are going to make the NCAA Torunament for a third consecutive year.
Before they can worry about the NCAA Tournament though, they need to focus on finishing in the top four in the MAAC in order to make it to the MAAC Tournament.
Two years ago, the Hounds won it all, but last year they came up short in a hard fought battle against Fairfield.
It seems unlikely that the Hounds won't make the MAAC Tournament, but Fairfield always puts out a strong team, as does Iona and St. Peter's.
Hopefully Darvill can continue to lead the Hounds after picking up his sixth goal of the season against Rider. Bannister and Dines will also be big for Loyola in the second half of the season, and both will hope to get on track when it comes to scoring.
Bannister has been a fine provider for Darvill, but if the Hounds want to win, then he will need to start putting opportunities away himself.
In the back they will need to stay strong behind the play of Tennant McVea, Wittman and Charlie Hutton if they hope to make it to a third straight tournament.
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