The Matchup
- The Greyhounds will continue their non-conference schedule as they host the Howard Bison on Thursday evening.
- This will be the fifth meeting between the two programs. The Greyhounds hold the edge in the series as they lead 3-0-1. The last matchup came in 2021 when the Greyhounds won 2-0.
Last Time Out
- The Greyhounds hosted the Kent State Golden Flashes on Sunday evening.
- Both teams had their chances throughout the game, but neither could find the cruicial chance to take advantage.
- Despite the 16-7 shot advantage for Kent State, they had just a slim advantage in possession, 53 to 47 percent.
- Both teams had chances in the last 15 minutes of the game, as shots from Kelsey Salopek and Siena Stambolich for Kent State were saved by
Paige Sim.
- The Greyhounds then had two chances late in the game, but one was high, and the other was saved, as the teams battled to a draw.
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Paige Sim made 7 saves on the night.
Key Returners and Newcomers
- The Greyhounds will return a strong core from last years team, as there will be 9 members of the team that tallied at least 10 starts last season.
- This group is led by Preseason Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year,
Paige Sim, who started all 18 games last season.
- The Greyhounds also return
Sarah Mirr,
Chloe Kuminkoski,
Alex Searing, and
Gillian Borton who all also started all 18 games last season.
- Three of the top four scorers from last years team also return in
Baylee DeSmit (4 goals, 1 assist),
Sarah Mirr (3 goals, 3 assists), and
Ada Clare Tempert (3 goals, 1 assist).
- Other notable returners for the Greyhounds are seniors
MK Barnes, Lea Kristjansdottir, and junior
Kelly Hutton.
- On top of the deep returners for the Greyhounds, they also brought in a talented freshman class, as they brought in 5 freshman to bolster their roster, and also brought in sophomore transfer
Michaela Virgin, who comes to Loyola after a year at NC State.
Where They Stand In The Patriot League
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Paige Sim currently leads the conference in saves (34), saves per game (5.67), and is third in shutouts (2).
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Baylee DeSmit is tied for the conference lead in goals (3), while
Payton Hurley,
Baylee DeSmit, and
Olivia Quaranta are tied for 3rd in assists.
- DeSmit also leads the league in points (8).
Scouting Howard
- The Bison come into the matchup with a 0-3-1 record so far this season.
- They lost their season opener to Towson, before a 3-3 tie against Elon. Since then, they have lost to George Mason and Longwood.
- Melea Earley leads the team with 2 goals and 5 points. Kendall France and Zoe Moore also both have a goal on the season.
- Kennedy Jones has played every minute in goal for the Bisons, and has totaled 21 saves on the season.
- In the NEC preseason poll, the Bisons were picked to finish in fourth place, behind Central Conneticut, FDU, and Sacred Heart.
- Howard finished the 2021 season with a 6-5-3 (5-3-2) record in their first season in the NEC.
Quick Notes Entering the Weekend
- This is the fifth matchup between the two programs.
- The Greyhounds have only faced two other NEC programs in their history in FDU and St. Francis. The Greyhounds are 0-0-1 against FDU and 4-1 against St. Francis.
- Three players earned Patriot League Player of the Week nods this year, all following a two shut-out performance.
Sarah Mirr earned Midfielder of the Week, Alex Searning was named Defensive Player of the Week, and
Paige Sim was named Goalkeeper of the Week.
- Loyola's eight victories last season are the program's most since the 2012 team went 12-6-4 and advanced to the NCAA tournament. The Greyhounds' 18 points in Patriot League play were also their most since joining the conference.
15 returning players appeared in at least 10 games during the 2021 season, including seven of them that tallied over 1,000 game minutes (
Paige Sim,
Alex Searing,
Chloe Kuminkoski,
Sarah Mirr,
MK Barnes,
Gillian Borton, and
Baylee DeSmit)
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Paige Sim was named the 2021 Goalkeeper of the Year and earned 1st Team All-Conference nods, and has follwed that up as being named the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year, as well as being named to the Preseason All-Patriot League team.
Recipes for Success
- The Greyhounds have recorded a shutout in 3 of the 6 games so far this season, despite being outshot in each game.
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Paige Sim has recorded 6 or more saves in 4 of the 6 games this season, including a career-high 9.
- Four different players have scored this season, and 6 different players have recorded an assist.
- The Greyhounds have won 13 of the last 14 games in which they have scored two goals or more, which dates back to Sept. 6, 2018. Loyola was 4-0-0 in 2021 when scoring multiple goals during the season.
- The Greyhounds are 10-0-2 when scoring first and 8-0-1 when leading at halftime since the beginning of the 2021 season.
What's Next
- The Greyhounds will be back home on Sunday as they complete their home-stand with a matchup against Wake Forest.
- Following Wake Forest, the Greyhounds will begin Patriot League play as they will travel to Colgate on September 17th.
More on Sim
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Paige Sim played 1,690 out of a possible 1,701 minutes last season, and she tallied 5+ saves in nine of her 18 appearances. She led the Patriot League in goals-against average (0.96), save percentage (.809) and shutouts (7) this fall.
- Sim was a first team All-Patriot League honoree during the 2021 season, was a thrid team All-Conference slection during the 2021 spring season and she was a second team selection following her freshman season in 2019.
- For her career, Sim is 17-10-10 with a 0.73 GAA, a .835 save percentage and 15 shutouts in 37 starts.
- Sims current ranks all-time at Loyola; in 3rd in saves (181, 115 from 2nd), 1st in save percentage (.815), 3rd in goals against average (0.90, .26 from 2nd), 4th in wins (19, 1 away from 3rd), 3rd in shutouts (17, 1 away from 2nd), 4th in goalie games played (44, 5 away from 3rd) and goalie games started (42, 1 from 3rd), and 4th in goalie minutes played (4,111:39 minutes, 621 from 3rd).
