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EASTON, Pa. - Freshman Stephen Nichols scored the game's lone goal to get the Loyola University Maryland men's soccer team a 1-0 win over Lafayette in the regular-season finale Saturday night at Oaks Stadium.
 
The Greyhounds (12-3-1 overall, 7-1-1 Patriot League) took no time getting their goal as Gabriel Carlsson played a ball off a free kick up the left flank to a streaking Barry Sharifi. Sharifi crossed it into the box and Nichols one-touched it into the back of the net for his first collegiate goal just 35 seconds into play.
 
That would be all Loyola would be able to finish though, as the Greyhounds finished the game with a 9-4 advantage in shots.
 
Following Nichols' goal, Sharifi centered a ball for TJ Walker to run onto in the 13th minute, but Walker's right-footed blast went wide right of the goal post.
 
Junior Josh Fawole then drew a foul outside the top right corner of the box in the 14th minute. Sharifi took the free kick but was unable to get enough bend on the ball as it sailed into the hands of Alex Sutton, Lafayette's goalkeeper.
 
In the 31st minute, Loyola goalkeeper Chase Vosvick came off his line and made a save at the top of the box on the Leopards' breakaway attempt. Sophomore Evan Peters then deflected Lafayette's second attempt to keep Vosvick's shutout alive.
 
To start the second half, Sharifi put the first shot on goal and senior Gabriel Carlsson followed it up with an attempt in the 52nd minute, as he created open space in the midfield before sending a long blast at goal. The shot went just over the crossbar, though.
 
Junior Brian Saramago created Loyola's final opportunity as he played a cross into the box in the 81st minute for senior Xander Saling. Saling collected the ball but wasn't able to get enough on his spin-around shot to get it past Sutton, who finished the game with six saves for the Leopards (5-8-4, 1-5-3).
 
Vosvick finished with four saves for Loyola to post his second-straight clean sheet and run his consecutive-shutout streak to 181 minutes. He now has seven shutouts this season and 13 throughout his career.
 
The Greyhounds will now begin their quest for their first-ever Patriot League Tournament title and first bit to the NCAA Championships since 2009, as it hosts the conference tournament Friday and Sunday. Loyola, the tournament's top seed, will learn its Patriot League Tournament semifinal opponent after Tuesday's quarterfinal round, with the Greyhounds facing the lowest-remaining seed between No. 4 Boston University, No. 5 Army West Point or No. 6 American.
 
Loyola will play in the first semifinal game on Friday at 4 p.m. at Ridley Athletic Complex, with the second semifinal game kicking off at 7 p.m. Sunday's championship game is set for 2 p.m.