BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland men's soccer, which secured a first-round bye in the Patriot League tournament over the weekend, hosts American to conclude the 2019 regular season at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.
The Greyhounds can finish no lower than second in the conference standings, and they can rise to first with a victory and a Lehigh loss to Bucknell.
Last Time Out
- Josh Fawole scored twice, and he assisted on a Brian Saramago strike to factor in all three goals during a 3-0 win at Boston University on Saturday.
- Fawole opened the scoring in the 55th minute, and he and Davey Mason set up Saramago's goal just 34 seconds later. Saramago set up Fawole for an insurance strike with 6:20 left in regulation.
- The Greyhounds held BU (4-11-1, 3-5) without a shot on target in the victory. They have allowed just one shot on goal overall in the last 257 minutes of game action.
- Jonathan Sousa recorded the primary assist on Fawole's opener.
- Saramago moved into a tie for ninth all-time at Loyola in assists (23) and he is now tied for 14th in team history in goals (34).
Series History
- Loyola leads 26-15-5 in a series which dates back to 1949.
- The Greyhounds have a 4-2 advantage since joining the Patriot League in 2013. They have won the last three meetings overall, including the last two by identical 4-1 scorelines.
- Sam Brown, Nico Brown, Brian Saramago and David Gunter had the goals in last season's win at American, as Loyola scored on four of its nine shots in the contest.
- American's last victory in the series was a 3-0 triumph at Ridley on Oct. 7, 2015.
About the Eagles
- American (3-10-2, 3-4-1) enters in a three-way tie with Bucknell and Colgate for fifth place in the Patriot League standings. Those three teams, along with Boston University (4-11-1, 3-5) are fighting for the final two spots in this year's Patriot League tournament.
- The Eagles would lose the three-way tiebreaker with Bucknell and Colgate; they need a result vs. Loyola and help from others to qualify for postseason play.
- American is coming off a 2-0 win against Army West Point on Saturday. Other league wins came against Holy Cross (1-0) and Lafayette (2-1).
- The Eagles rank last in the Patriot League in goals scored (10 in 15 games), assists (9) and shots per game (6.7). They lead the conference in saves per game (4.8).
Fawole Repeats as Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week
- Josh Fawole received his second-consecutive Patriot League weekly award on Monday after leading the Greyhound at Boston U over the weekend.
- The Columbia, Md., native has totaled seven goals and two assists in Loyola's last eight games, with the Greyhounds posting a record of 6-1-1 during that stretch.
- Fawole's five points on Saturday were a new career high. He also has a career-best 18 points (8 G, 2 A) on the year and he is up to 50 points overall at Loyola (20 G, 10 A).
Saramago Back Atop the Patriot League
- Brian Saramago recorded three more points at BU on Saturday, totaling a goal and an assist to maintain his status as the Patriot League's top scorer in 2019.
- Saramago has 25 points (8 G, 9 A) this season, surpassing his previous career-high of 24 during a 2018 campaign which led to third team United Soccer Coaches All-America recognition. He has 18 points (5 G, 8 A) during Loyola's last eight games.
- Saramago's nine assists are tied for fourth in all of Division I, and he is also ranked 22nd nationally in shots per game (3.59, 61 total).
Quick Notes
- Loyola, which was receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division I poll, ranks 6th nationally in total assists (40), 10th in goals (38) and 13th in goals per game (2.24).
- The Greyhounds are 7-1-1 since the start of October, outscoring opponents by a margin of 27-9 during that span. They have scored 16 goals in their last three victories at Ridley Athletic Complex.
- Loyola is 8-1 this season when scoring multiple goals, and 7-1-1 when holding opponents to one goal or fewer.
- The Greyhounds have outshot their opponents in 11 of 17 games, and they have tied or had a greater number of corner kicks in 14 of 17 contests.
- Eight Loyola players have combined for 14 Patriot League weekly awards so far in 2019, with Barry Sharifi (3x), Davey Mason (2x), Jonathan Sousa (2x), Chase Vosvick (2x), Josh Fawole (2x), Brian Saramago, Justin Ingram, and Eddy Rodriguez all earning recognition.
- Loyola is 26-6-3 in the regular season against Patriot League opponents over the past three-plus years under head coach Steve Nichols.
- Mason and Jacob Denison have started every game for the Greyhounds on the backline this season.
