Loyola’s Varsity soccer team beat Notre Dame today, January 9, with a score of 2-0. After this game, Loyola’s record is now 16-1-2.

Loyola started the game with the ball. Notre Dame started the first half by playing offensively. After Loyola gained possession of the ball, the team played aggressively, scoring their goal after Nico Chappus scored a goal off of a header at 7:25. Loyola continued to press the offense, and Eric Arreola scored Loyola’s second goal off of a cross kick at 10:00, making the score 2-0. Loyola kept possession of the ball, staying competitive for the majority of the first half of the game, stealing Notre Dame’s less controlled passes and keeping the other team from scoring. The first half proved to be testing for both teams. At 27:00, Nico Chapus was knocked down by a stray elbow, and Grayson Doody was tripped shortly after by a slide from a Notre Dame player. The first half ended with a score of 2-0 and many viewers questioning the refereeing of one referee.

The second half started with Notre Dame’s possession of the ball. Notre Dame’s early gameplay in the second half was very aggressive, making several drives to the goal, which were recovered by Loyola. Loyola’s defense remained strong, keeping the Notre Dame offense from scoring any goals. At 69:00, Spencer Roberts nearly scored a goal for Loyola after getting the ball past the Notre Dame goalie who had over extended himself; however, the ball rolled past the post, barely missing the point. At 71:00 where Loyola’s offense took a shot on the goal. Several players from both team were in close proximity to each other, and when the first shot was blocked by the goalie, Loyola recovered the ball and took another shot, which was deflected by another defender. Just as Spencer Roberts seemed to be able to make a goal, Notre Dame’s goalie was able to get into position to deflect the third shot in the course of a minute. The game ended 2-0 with Loyola winning after Notre Dame was unable to score to tie the game.

Coach Trevor Mutch said, “We came out strong and it was nice to get goals early. We’ve struggled to do that in the last several games, and it was nice to play with a two to zero lead early on. Notre Dame played hard and stuck with it. We had some opportunities to try to put the game a way. We struggled a bit, but ultimately we did a good job.”

After winning the game, Captain Henry Smith-Hastie said, “It’s good to get back to winning after a very disappointing tie to Crespi on Monday. It’s good to get a win and keep a clean sheet.”

Loyola’s next game is on Friday, January 9 against Harvard Westlake. The last game against Harvard Westlake ended in a draw.

Midfielder Matt Stauber said, “We’re going to try to come out with more intensity and play quickly, and hopefully, they’re not gonna be able to keep up with us.”