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Men's Soccer Hosts UC Irvine to Open 2021 Fall Season on Sunday

Match Information
Opponent UC Irvine Anteaters
Date Sunday, August 29, 2021
Time 1:00 p.m.
Location Baltimore, Md. | Ridley Athletic Complex
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The Matchup

  • Loyola men's soccer kicks off the 2021 fall season with a Sunday afternoon home game against UC Irvine. 
  • The Greyhounds, who have advanced to five-consecutive Patriot League semifinals, will be facing the Anteaters for the first time in program history

Last Season

  • With the Patriot League split into two divisions during the COVID-19 impacted spring campaign, the Greyhounds won their final two regular season games to finish atop the South division standings.
  • Loyola bested Navy (2-0) and Bucknell (2-1) in the season's final week to clinch another conference playoff appearance, but a short-handed lineup was edged 3-2 by eventual-Patriot League champions American in the semifinal round.
  • The Greyhounds finished the spring with an overall record of 3-2-1 (3-1-1 PL).

Loyola Tops Patriot League Preseason Poll

  • For a fourth time in the past five seasons, Loyola has been projected to finish atop the Patriot League standings, as the Greyhounds (149 points, 10 first-place votes) edged American (137, 7) for the top spot in the conference's preseason poll.
  • Loyola returns all primary starters from the 2021 spring campaign, including the Patriot League's Offensive Player (Sam Brown), Midfielder (Justin Ingram) and Goalkeeper (Chase Vosvick) of the Year.
  • The Greyhounds are 30-11-5 overall against Patriot League opponents in the last five years under head coach Steve Nichols.
Ingram Named Patriot League Preseason Midfielder of the Year
  • Justin Ingram was voted earlier this month to repeat as the conference's top midfielder. He is one of seven Greyhounds to return as a graduate student, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19.
  • Ingram was a first team United Soccer Coaches All-Region and first team All-Patriot League performer last spring after leading Loyola with nine points (3 G, 3 A) and tying for the team lead in shots (15).
  • This will be Ingram's third year at Loyola after joining the program as a transfer from the University of Virginia. He has 20 points (6 G, 8 A) in his first 25 appearances with the Greyhounds.
Series History
  • This will be the first meeting between Loyola and UC Irvine.
  • The Greyhounds face a Big West opponent for the third time in program history. They topped Cal State Northridge by a 2-1 final on Sept. 2, 2012 and tied Cal State Fullerton (2-2) on Sept. 2, 2001.
  • That Cal State Northridge matchup also marks the last time Loyola faced any school from the state of California.
Scouting UC Irvine
  • The Anteaters had their 2020-21 season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They went 7-7-5 (4-2-1 Big West) during their most-recent season back in 2019, falling 3-2 to Cal State Northridge in the first round of the Big West tournament..
  • UC Irvine was ranked third out of 10 schools in the Big West Preseason poll, while So. D/M Eddy Berumen and So. M Oscar Cervantes each earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big West team.
  • The Anteaters have made six NCAA tournament appearances since 2008, most-recently advancing to the second round back in 2018.
  • UC Irvine began its 2021 season with a 2-1 defeat at No. 5 Georgetown on Friday afternoon. The Anteaters surrendered two second-half goals to the Hoyas, but pulled within one on an 82nd minute goal by So. F Juan Barragan-Manzo. Georgetown led 30-4 in shots and 9-3 in corner kicks.

Three Selected to Preseason All-Patriot League Team

  • All three of Loyola's major award winners from last spring were recognized on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, with Justin Ingram, Sam Brown and Chase Vosvick all included on the 11-man list.
  • The Greyhounds' three Preseason All-League honorees led the conference.
  • Brown was a second team United Soccer Coaches All-Region performer last season after ranking second on the team with six points (2 G, 2 A). He was the program's first Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year since Loyola joined the conference in 2013.
  • Vosvick is now a four-time Preseason All-League selection. He earned his third PL Goalkeeper of the Year honor in the spring after finishing 3-1-1 with a 0.92 goals-against average and .722 save percentage.

Denison, Ingram, Vosvick Named Team Captains

  • Loyola will have three team captains this fall, with Jacob Denison, Justin Ingram and Chase Vosvick selected to lead the program on and off the field.
  • Denison was a third team All-Patriot League performer in the spring, and he also became the program's first three-time Academic All-Patriot League honoree. A three-year starter on the backline, Denison has appeared in 48 games overall at Loyola.

More on Vosvick

  • Chase Vosvick is a three-time United Soccer Coaches first team All-Region selection (2017-19) and a three-time Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year (2017-18, Spring 2021). He was also named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List prior to the 2021 spring season.
  • Vosvick has started 55 of Loyola's 60 games over the past four seasons, and is 32-17-5 with a 1.03 goals-against average, .724 save percentage and 20 shutouts in those 55 appearances.
  • Vosvick has held opponents to one goal or fewer in 22 of his 25 collegiate starts at Ridley Athletic Complex.
Swales, San Look to Build on Spring Success
  • Kelan Swales and Loc San both made immediate impacts in their first season with the program last spring.
  • Swales, who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Marshall (2018) and Appalachian State (2019), led the Greyhounds with four assists and was tied for the team lead in shots (15). He was named first team All-Patriot League and second team All-Region at the conclusion of the season.
  • Swales' 0.67 assists per game led the Patriot League and ranked seventh overall in Division I.
  • San started three of the five games he appeared in as a freshman, ranking third on the team with five points (2 G, 1 A).
  • San was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week after scoring the double-overtime winner in Loyola's 2-1 comeback victory over Lehigh. He then took home Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week accolades on April 12 after scoring a goal and drawing a penalty in wins over Navy and Bucknell.
Lots of New Faces
  • Loyola has 12 new additions to the roster for the 2021 fall campaign, including four transfers and eight members of the recruiting Class of 2025.
  • Marco Bla (Old Dominion), Tony Saldana (Carson-Newman), Daniel Tshiani (Montgomery College) and Beneyam Yifru (Gardner-Webb) join the program as transfers. Bla started every game in the midfield for ODU last spring, while Tshiani was able to practice at Loyola during the spring semester.
  • The freshmen class includes Alex Bobocea, Kyle Dengler, Sean Graham, Jose Joya, Carson Kourtesis, Jordy Luchies, Jake Mayer and Jake Sweeney.
  • Dengler, Joya and Mayer all played for local club powerhouse Baltimore Armour. Graham represented his home country of Northern Ireland up through the U-21 level, while Luchies spent several years in the youth academy at FC Emmen, which competed in the Eredivisie from 2018-21.
Sousa Back for More
  • Jonathan Sousa returns for his sixth year with the program this fall, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted due to the pandemic after previously using a medical redshirt in 2017.
  • Sousa is one of four Greyhounds (along with Sam Brown, Jacob Denison and Justin Ingram) to appear in all 25 games over the past two seasons, earning starts on the backline in 24 of those contests. He was a third team All-Patriot League selection in 2018 and a Preseason All-Patriot League honoree last spring.
Quick Notes
  • Kristinn Pétursson has been a mainstay on the backline over the past two seasons, earning starts at center back in 21 of his 23 appearances. Loyola has allowed one goal or fewer in 15 of his 21 collegiate starts.
  • Albert Kang returns for his junior season after serving as a starting midfielder in each of his four appearances last spring. His first collegiate goal was a big one, as he provided the game-winner in a 2-0 road win at Navy on April 7.
  • Kang also holds a 4.0 cumulative GPA while majoring in business administration. He was joined by teammates Jacob Denison and Chase Vosvick on the Academic All-Patriot League Team last spring.
  • Loyola men's soccer combined for a team GPA of 3.47 during the most-recent spring semester. Twenty Greyhounds had GPA's above a 3.50, with Kang, Matthew Lala, Spencer Nattans and Vosvick all posting perfect 4.0 GPA's.
  • A junior defender, Lala was one of five Greyhounds to start all six games last season, and he led the team with 577 minutes played.
Road Warriors
  • After Sunday's season-opener, Loyola will not return to Ridley Athletic Complex until a 12 p.m. matchup against Holy Cross on Saturday, September 25.
  • In between are five-consecutive road games at Old Dominion (9/3), West Virginia (9/6), Providence (9/10), Penn (9/13) and Loyola's Patriot League opener at Lehigh (9/18).
  • West Virginia and Providence each qualified for the 2019 NCAA tournament. West Virginia earned an automatic bid after winning the MAC, while Providence advanced to the Sweet 16 as an at-large selection.
  • Of Loyola's 17 games on the regular season schedule, 10 will be played away from Ridley Athletic Complex.
Head Coach Steve Nichols
  • Steve Nichols enters his eighth season as head coach in 2021 having guided the Greyhounds to five-straight Patriot League semifinal appearances. 
  • Included in that stretch is a conference record of three-consecutive Patriot League regular season championships from 2017-19, with the program recognized in the United Soccer Coaches national poll in each of those seasons.
  • The Greyhounds are 44-25-8 (30-7-4 PL) over the past five seasons under Nichols, and they have won 15 major Patriot League awards during that span. Nichols was named Patriot League Coach of the Year for three-straight seasons from 2016-18.
  • Nichols contributed to three-straight MAAC Championships as a player at Loyola from 1989-91. 
  • Prior to returning to campus, he spent 17 years as head coach at local high school powerhouse McDonogh. The Eagles won eight MIAA Championships and were twice ranked as the No. 1 high school team in the nation, including during a 2013 season which culminated in a national championship.
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Players Mentioned

Alex Bobocea

#33 Alex Bobocea

Goalkeeper
6' 0"
Freshman
Sam Brown

#11 Sam Brown

Forward
5' 10"
Graduate Student
Jacob Denison

#26 Jacob Denison

Defender
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Justin Ingram

#10 Justin Ingram

Midfielder
5' 8"
Graduate Student
Albert Kang

#5 Albert Kang

Midfielder
5' 10"
Junior
Matthew Lala

#24 Matthew Lala

Defender
5' 10"
Junior
Spencer Nattans

#30 Spencer Nattans

Goalkeeper
6' 2"
Junior
Loc San

#7 Loc San

Forward
6' 1"
Sophomore
Jonathan Sousa

#2 Jonathan Sousa

Defender
5' 8"
Graduate Student
Kelan Swales

#13 Kelan Swales

Forward
5' 9"
Senior
Daniel Tshiani

#20 Daniel Tshiani

Forward
6' 3"
Junior
Chase Vosvick

#1 Chase Vosvick

Goalkeeper
6' 1"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Alex Bobocea

#33 Alex Bobocea

6' 0"
Freshman
Goalkeeper
Sam Brown

#11 Sam Brown

5' 10"
Graduate Student
Forward
Jacob Denison

#26 Jacob Denison

6' 0"
Graduate Student
Defender
Justin Ingram

#10 Justin Ingram

5' 8"
Graduate Student
Midfielder
Albert Kang

#5 Albert Kang

5' 10"
Junior
Midfielder
Matthew Lala

#24 Matthew Lala

5' 10"
Junior
Defender
Spencer Nattans

#30 Spencer Nattans

6' 2"
Junior
Goalkeeper
Loc San

#7 Loc San

6' 1"
Sophomore
Forward
Jonathan Sousa

#2 Jonathan Sousa

5' 8"
Graduate Student
Defender
Kelan Swales

#13 Kelan Swales

5' 9"
Senior
Forward
Daniel Tshiani

#20 Daniel Tshiani

6' 3"
Junior
Forward
Chase Vosvick

#1 Chase Vosvick

6' 1"
Graduate Student
Goalkeeper