Full 2021 Schedule
BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland men's soccer will kick off its 2021 season with a home matchup against UC Irvine on August 29, as the Greyhounds announced a schedule on Tuesday which includes seven games against programs which recently qualified for NCAA Tournament play.
Loyola has a total of 17 games on its regular season slate, including seven contests at Ridley Athletic Complex. The Greyhounds topped the Patriot League South division standings during the abbreviated 2021 spring campaign, and they have claimed at least a share of the conference's regular season championship in each of the past three completed fall seasons.
The UC Irvine matchup will be Loyola's first-ever meeting against the Anteaters. UC Irvine, which did not compete during the 2020-21 academic year, advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament back in 2018.
The Greyhounds then hit the road for five-straight games, beginning with a trip to Old Dominion on September 3. Back-to-back challenging matchups against 2019 NCAA tournament teams follow, as Loyola heads to West Virginia (9/6) and Providence (9/10).
West Virginia claimed its first MAC championship in 2019, ultimately reaching the second round of the NCAA tourney, while Providence advanced to the Sweet 16 after receiving an at-large selection. Loyola is 3-0-1 lifetime against West Virginia, last facing the Mountaineers in 1987, while the program's lone meeting with Providence was a 2-1 Loyola victory during the 1985 regular season.
The road trip concludes with a game at Penn on September 13 and the Patriot League opener at 2019 conference champions Lehigh on September 18. The Greyhounds topped Lehigh by a 2-1 final in double overtime during the spring; they will face Penn for the first time since 2005.
The remainder of the non-conference slate includes a home game against William & Mary (9/29) and road matchups at NJIT (10/5) and Wake Forest (10/19). Loyola earned a 1-1 draw against then-No. 2 Wake Forest during a 2019 season in which the Demon Deacons ultimately advanced to the national semifinals. The Greyhounds also faced NJIT that fall, handing the eventual Atlantic Sun champions a 4-1 setback at Ridley.
The Patriot League returns to its standard one-division format this fall, with Loyola set to face each of the other nine conference institutions once during the regular season. Five of those games will take place in Baltimore, as the Greyhounds host Holy Cross (9/25), Lafayette (10/9), American (10/12), Navy (10/16) and Army West Point (10/30).
The Greyhounds wrap up the regular season at Bucknell on November 3. The Patriot League quarterfinals are scheduled for November 6, while the top two seeds host semifinals on November 9 and this fall's Patriot League championship game will take place on Saturday, November 13.
Additional 2021 men's soccer scheduling updates, including game times and ticket information, will be posted to LoyolaGreyhounds.com as soon as it becomes available.
