The Matchup
- The Greyhounds will continue Patriot League play on Saturday afternoon, as they travel up to Holy Cross in a crucial Patriot League matchup.
- This will be the 11th matchup between the two teams, with Loyola holding a 4-3-3 record over the Greyhounds.
- Loyola has won three straight games against the Crusaders, having not lost to Holy Cross since 2018. Their last trip to Worcester, Loyola won 1-0.
Quick Hits
- Baylee DeSmit has continued her run of play from 2023 into 2024, as she has 11 goals and three assists in 14 games this season.
- Their tie vs Hofstra was the Greyhounds first tie since October 12, 2022, where they tied with Bucknell, 0-0.
- Since the beginning of September, the Greyhounds are 3-2-5, with the lone loss coming against Navy.
Greyhounds at Home
- The Greyhounds were dominant at home during the 2023 season, tallying a 9-2 record at Ridley last season.
- Over the last four seasons, Loyola has a 21-11-7 record at home, and are 4-1-3 at home this season.
- So far this season, Loyola has gone 4-1-3 at home, outscoring opponents 11-6 this season. Loyola has scored at least one goal in every home game this season, including a season-high three goals against Northern Colorado and Army.
- Nine wins at home last season is tied for the second most wins at home in a single-season, tying with 2005 when they finished 9-0 at home. The most wins at home came in 1996 when the Greyhounds went 11-0-1 at home.
Non-Conference Recap
- The Greyhounds finished a tough non-conference schedule with a 4-2-2 record, as they begin conference play against Boston.
- Loyola began the season with a tough 2-1 loss against Dayton, before bouncing back with two 1-0 wins against Longwood and George Washington.
- The Greyhounds then battled to a 1-0 loss to a top-ten regionally ranked Virginia Tech team on the road. Loyola kept them scoreless until the last ten minutes.
- After a bounce-back 3-1 win over Northern Colorado, the Greyhounds battled to back-to-back 1-1 draws against Hofstra and Wagner.
- Loyola finished non-conference play on a high note, as they gave Monmouth their first loss of the season, as they won 1-0. Coming into the game, Monmouth was ranked No. 10 in the East Region rankings according to the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
- Through non-conference play, Baylee DeSmit has six goals and two assists to lead the team in goals and points. Malia Tarazon leads the team with three assists.
Scouting Holy Cross
- The Crusaders come into the matchup with a 5-9-1 (2-3-1) record on the season, and are coming off of a 3-0 loss to Boston on Wednesday.
- Coming into Saturday, Holy Cross has not won a game since they won 1-0 over Army on September 25. They have lost three straight games, and are 0-3-1 over their last four games.
- Ava Graham, Charlotte Hanchar, and Olivia Perez are tied for the team lead in goals with two goals each this season.
- Graham leads the team in assists this season, with two on the year.
- In goal, Julia Walsh has started 12 games on the season, tallying 50 saves, a .781 save percentage, and a 1.12 goals against average.
- Olivia Dubin has started three games in goal, tallying 7 saves, a .636 save percentage, and a 1.60 goals against average.
Quick Notes
- The 2024 season will be the 14th season the Greyhounds have been in the Patriot League, going 32-44-23 during that span, reaching the Patriot League Championships in five straight seasons, which includes two trips to the Patriot League Semifinals.
- This is Head Coach Joe Mallia's second stint at the helm with the Greyhounds. During his first stint, Mallia went 87-45-9 (54-4-5, MAAC), Winning the MAAC Regular-Season Championship four times, and the MAAC Tournament Championship three times.
- In his four season's back at the helm, Mallia has gone 38-31-18.
- The Greyhounds have gone 64-44-20 at home since the opening of Ridley Athletic Complex.
- Five ties this season ties a program high, which also happened in 2007 and 2015.
Recipe for Success
- The Greyhounds are 5-1-3 this season when they score the first goal.
- Seven different players have recorded at least one assist so far this season, including three players with at least three assists each.
- The Greyhounds have won 24 of the last 28 games in which they have scored two goals or more, which dates back to Sept. 6, 2018. Loyola was 8-0-0 when scoring multiple goals last season.
- The Greyhounds are 27-2-5 when scoring first and 18-1-1 when leading at halftime since the beginning of the 2021 season.
- Loyola has been a second half team this season, as they are 4-2-3 when tied at halftime.
More on DeSmit
- Baylee DeSmit had a monster year for Loyola, as she led the Patriot League in goals and points, while finishing second in assists.
- She also tied the single-season record for assists with 8, tying with seven other players to reach the single-season mark.
- Her 10 goals also ranks tied for eighth for most goals in a single-season.
- DeSmit has also slowly climbed the Loyola all time ranks, as she enters the 2024 season in the top ten in points, goals, and assists.
- So far in 2024, DeSmit leads the Patriot League in goals (11) and points (25).
- DeSmit's current ranks all-time at Loyola:
Career:
Points: 81 (3rd)
Goals: 31 (T-3rd)
Assists: 19 (T-3rd)
Points Per Game: 1.22 (T-3rd)
Goals Per Game: .469 (T-3rd)
Assists Per Game: .301 (4th)
Game-Winning Goals: 11 (3rd)
