Sept. 3, 2010
Off and Running
• Loyola tied Campbell, 0-0, on Wednesday, Sept. 1, in the season opener for both sides. Greyhounds goalkeeper Kyle Wittman made five saves to preserve the shutout, the tenth of his career.
• Four freshmen made their collegiate debuts against Campbell on September 1. Diego McQuestion and Stephen Dooley started for the Greyhounds and recorded the team's two shots on goal. Jamie Libby and Alex Bullington provided depth and a scoring chance off of the bench.
Series History
• Loyola enters Tuesday night's game against William & Mary trailing in the all-time series, 8-14-5. The Tribe won the last meeting, a 2-1 affair in Williamsburg, Va., last year. Loyola's lone goal came from Glenn Leitch in the 81st minute.
• The Greyhounds carry a 1-0-1 all-time advantage over Quinnipiac into the contest on September 11. Loyola bested the Bobcats, 5-4, on Oct. 4, 2008, before the two sides battled to a scoreless tie last year.
Home Sweet Home
• Tuesday night's match marks the first regular season game for the Loyola men's soccer team in Ridley Athletic Complex. The Greyhounds played a charity exhibition match against local professional team Crystal Palace in March but Tuesday will serve as the first game that has an impact on the standings.
• The new 6,000-seat facility serves as the home field for the Loyola soccer and lacrosse programs and boasts state-of-the-art training facilities.
Old Dogs
• Loyola returns 10 seniors in 2010 from last year's squad that won the MAAC Tournament and reached the College Cup for the 16th time in school history.
• Eight of this year's 10 seniors started for the Greyhounds last year, a team that led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in goals and assists and ranked second in shutouts.
• A diverse group of seven freshmen join the team this year. Representing the wide-ranging influence of soccer, Loyola welcomes newcomers from Northern Ireland, England, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Maryland.
Return of the MAAC (Favorites)
• Loyola leads the MAAC preseason coaches' poll as favorites to win the MAAC Championship, marking the third straight year that the Greyhounds have topped the preseason rankings.
• In addition to the team's accolade, Phil Bannister and Gerwyn Jones earned Preseason All-MAAC honors. Bannister also was named MAAC Preseason Player of the Year for the second time in his career, the first time coming in 2008. This year's poll marks three consecutive MAAC Preseason Players of the Year for Loyola (Bannister in `08, Jamie Darvill in `09, Bannister in `10).
Bannister Gets CLASSy
• Phil Bannister was named as a candidate for the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Bannister is one of 30 men's soccer players selected as a candidate. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
• Loyola boasts two other candidates in their respective sports: Lina Staropoli (women's soccer) and Nina Camaioni (volleyball). Loyola is one of only three Division I schools with three award candidates, along with Penn State and Stanford.
Records in Danger
• Several Loyola career records could fall this year. Phil Bannister enters the season just one assist shy of all-time career assists record of 29, shared by Marc Harrison (1992-1995) and Stan Koziol (1983-1987). Bannister tied the Loyola Division I record in assists last year with 13.
• Bannister also ranks in the all-time goals and points categories at Loyola as well. The senior forward enters the 2010 season sitting 13th on Loyola's career scoring list with 67 points and ranks 15th in career goals with 30.
O Captains! My Captains!
• Phil Bannister, Eddie Dines and Charlie Hutton will serve as captains for the Greyhounds in 2010. The three seniors have started 159 games combined for Loyola throughout their school careers.
At the Helm
• Mark Mettrick returns for his 11th season as the head coach of the Greyhounds. Mettrick has compiled at 127-57-18 record at Loyola, guiding the team to five College Cup appearances. He has also coached Loyola to seven regular-season MAAC championships and four MAAC Tournament titles.
• Mettrick is assisted by Matt Dwyer, who is in his fourth year as an assistant coach at Loyola. Steve Pfeil also joins the staff this year as an assistant coach. Pfeil, a 1986 graduate of American University, will be responsible for working with the Greyhound goalkeepers.
