BALTIMORE — Loyola University Maryland controlled possession and created more chances Saturday, but Lehigh University converted on two opportunities to hand the Greyhounds a 2-0 setback at Ridley Athletic Complex.
Loyola held a 15-10 advantage in shots and a 56% to 44% edge in possession, while earning five corner kicks to Lehigh's two. But the Mountain Hawks scored twice in the second half to secure the Patriot League victory.
The Greyhounds generated six shots in the opening 45 minutes and put three on target, but Lehigh goalkeeper Anton Kinnunen turned away each attempt to keep the match scoreless at halftime. Lukas Cortes twice tested Kinnunen in the first half, while Cal Lackner also forced a save.
Lehigh broke through 2:45 into the second half when Bora Turker scored in the 48th minute. Aiden Gonzalez and Alex Junquera assisted on the goal, giving the Mountain Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Loyola continued to push for an equalizer. Tyler Flynn and Ben Schouten had second-half attempts blocked, and Cortes added another shot before Nino Venezia forced Kinnunen into a save in the 70th minute.
Lehigh doubled its advantage in the 65th minute when Thomas Robertson scored his second goal of the season.
The Greyhounds continued attacking late, earning three more corner kicks and putting additional pressure on the Mountain Hawks. Omar Alexander Medrano and Venezia each had attempts in the final 10 minutes, but Loyola could not find the breakthrough. Cortes' final shot was blocked in the closing seconds.
Felix Huebner made two saves for Loyola, while Kinnunen finished with four saves to preserve the shutout.
Loyola finished the match with 15 shots, including four on goal, compared with 10 shots and four on target for Lehigh.
The loss moved Loyola to 1-6 overall and 0-1 in Patriot League play, while Lehigh improved to 1-2-3 overall and 1-0 in conference action.
