BALTIMORE, Md. – The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team traveled to Baltimore, Md. on Tuesday night and battled Loyola Maryland to a 0-0 draw at Ridley Athletic Complex.
The Quakers dominated a majority of the non-conference matchup, but the hosts' defense stood strong against waves of Penn attacks throughout the 90 minutes.
Quaker Notemeal
*The visitors generated seven more shots (13-6) than the hosts, five of which were on target compared to Loyola's two.
*
Patrick Weir,
Kalani Kunimura and
Phillip Falcon III were the only Quakers to play the full 90 minutes on the road.
*Freshman midfielder
Wyatt Bonos led the Red and Blue with two shots on target, while
Marco Bottene,
Connor Dawson and
Owen Sullivan all finished with one.
*Head Coach
Brian Gill went deep into his bench Tuesday night, as 22 Quakers made an appearance versus the Greyhounds.
*Freshman forward
Leo Doyle made his collegiate debut and played for 15 minutes, and
Joaquin Niehenke logged 16 minutes after missing a string of matches due to injury.
*Reigning Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week,
Becket Empson-Speiden, earned the first start of his career and played 49 minutes out wide.
How It Happened
Penn came out on the front foot to begin the match and nearly opened the scoring after three minutes. The visitors were in transition when the ball worked its way wide out to the feet of Sullivan. The fullback burst forward with pace and stood a cross up to the back post where
Romeo Dahlen was waiting, but his header glanced over the crossbar.
After an initial scare, Loyola began to settle into the contest and registered a half chance in the 11th minute. The ball made its way to Tyler Flynn 40 yards from goal, and the midfielder wasted no time striding forward. He eventually worked his way into a shooting position, but his effort soared over Falcon III's head.
The hosts gained more and more possession after the first 15 minutes and looked comfortable while progressing the ball forward. However, Penn was dangerous once it turned the hosts over and it almost took the lead in the 26th minute.
The Quakers' initial corner stalled out but Empson-Speiden won the ball back and served a cross into the box to an open Weir at the back stick. Weir headed the ball back across goal to a lonely Sullivan, but the defender's header went right into the hands of Felix Huebner.
Sullivan's missed chance ended up energizing Penn as it began to leave its footprint on the match with long balls in wide areas.
Bonos had a great chance to make it 1-0 Quakers with nine minutes remaining in the half, but Huebner made a fine save down to his right to keep the match scoreless.
The best chance of the first half fell to freshman
Isaac Tortola with 90 seconds to go. Both sides were battling for the ball near midfield when Sullivan passed the ball forward towards Bonos. The freshman spun and played the ball into the path of Tortola who immediately drove towards the Greyhounds' penalty area. Once he was 20 yards from goal, he fired a rocket towards frame, but his effort rattled the crossbar and the hosts cleared their lines.
At the intermission, the contest remained scoreless at 0-0.
The Red and Blue picked up right where they left off in the second period by generating a corner in the first 30 seconds.
Despite the early pressure from the visitors, the Greyhounds nearly took the lead in the 54th minute. Loyola earned a corner of its own and its service into the penalty area fell to the feet of Cesare D'Amico. D'Amico spun on the half turn and laid the ball off for Jeremiah McGuire to strike, but the defender's effort failed to trouble Falcon III.
Loyola subbed on freshman goalkeeper Reese Mays at halftime which nearly backfired with 20 minutes left in the match. The rookie had a poor giveaway in his defensive third and Bonos was first to react. Unfortunately, the Lake Mary, Fla. native's shot landed right into Mays' hands.
Penn dominated the final 10 minutes at Ridley Athletic Complex, but a late flurry from Loyola almost saw the hosts snatch all three points.
When the referee blew his whistle for fulltime, both sides settled for a point.
Up Next
Penn (4-1-3, 1-0-1 Ivy League) remains on the road for its next matchup. The Quakers venture to Ithaca, N.Y. on Saturday for a 4 p.m. kickoff with Ancient Eight foe Cornell.
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