Men’s Soccer: BU Dominates Against Loyola Maryland to Lead the Series
By Jane Guay
Back on home turf, the Boston University Men’s Soccer (6-3-0, 2-1 PL) took on Loyola Maryland (2-6-1, 1-2 PL) Sunday afternoon at Nickerson Field.
The history between the Terriers and the Greyhounds dates back to October 1987 — nearly 40 years ago. While the Terriers entered this match with more wins this season, their all-time series against the Greyhounds remains even at 5-5, with their most recent game ending in a draw in September 2024.
The Terriers had unstoppable energy from the beginning, with an early goal in the first six minutes by junior forward Andrea Di Blasio.
“We knew we were dominant,” Di Blasio said after the game, referring to the first goal.
But the Terriers’ momentum eventually got cut short. Loyola quickly responded as midfielder Tyler Tucker, assisted by forward Steven Ozga and defender Ryan Andrews, netted the equalizer to tie the match 1-1 within the first 19 minutes of the half.
“We can’t dwell on what happened,” Di Blasio said of Loyola’s early goal.
The Terriers refused to allow the Greyhounds to gain momentum for the time left in the first half, resulting in a goal made by freshman midfielder Sebastian Otero, after an assist from senior defender Quin DeLaMater. Not even five minutes later, sophomore midfielder Pharis Petrica scored with an assist by senior defender Giuseppe Bagnato.
“As a coach, you love to see goals and goals by different guys, and I think we’ve seen production up to this point all season from a variety of players and positions,” Head Coach Kevin Nylen said.
Despite three first-half saves from the Greyhounds’ goalkeeper, the Terriers maintained momentum, finishing the half with six shots on goal compared to Loyola’s one.
The Greyhounds’ also struggled offensively due to fouling, with defender Jack Endacott receiving a yellow card about 25 minutes into the match. Five additional fouls were recorded by defender Jahvar Stephenson, midfielder Cody Angelini, defender Jack Endacott, midfielder Ben Schouten and midfielder Richie Nichols.
Halftime may have given a time break, but in no way did it break the Terriers’ momentum. Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Di Blasio scored his second goal of the game with an assist by sophomore midfielder Pharis Petrica. This marks Di Blasio’s third goal of the season.
“We’ve known Andrea for a while, and now he’s continuing to find form and find the back of the net,” Nylen said.
Still, the Terriers’ fouls slowed the pace of the match in the second half, in contrast to the first half, which featured no fouls. Early fouls by sophomore midfielder Pharis Petrica, along with fouls from freshman defender Austin Mobray, senior defender Giuseppe Bagnato and sophomore defender Dylan Williams, contributed to limiting the Terriers to just one goal in the second half.
What had been a clear dominance in Greyhound territory during the first half became a more evenly contested game, with both teams sharing time on the field more equally.
Although the Greyhounds outshot the Terriers three to four in the second half and limited their fouls to one compared to BU’s five, Loyola was unable to score or regain the momentum they lost earlier in the match. This was also accompanied by the three saves BU senior goalkeeper Sheraz Saadat was able to tally — opposed to the zero in the first half.
Saadat said the key to the match was “playing our game” and “not dropping to their level.” This especially came after a more strengthened offense Loyola was able to present at the time.
Overall, the Terriers’ defense proved too strong for an improving Loyola offense, keeping them off the board in the second half. The Terriers rounded up the afternoon with a 4-1 victory against the Greyhounds.
“I thought it was a good performance by the group,” Nylen said. “You’re always wanting more, but [it was] a good day back at Nickerson and three points in conference.”
The Terriers look to keep this energy in their next game on Friday against Colgate at Nickerson Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., with streaming available on ESPN+.