Final Stats

BALTIMORE, Md. ââ'¬" On a night when scoring opportunities were elusive, the specter of one goal loomed increasingly large as the night progressed. Villanova was unable to convert its best chances, however, and Loyola got the one it needed in the 82nd minute off a set piece that proved to be the difference for the Greyhounds.

The final score in this non-conference matchup was Loyola 1, Villanova 0.

"Credit to Loyola," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "They disrupted our flow and rhythm with their physicality. They came at us in transition and we didn't handle it as well as we would have liked to. We certainly had our chances, but you have to be able to score in this game."

The Wildcats saw a two-game winning streak snapped as they fell to 2-3-0 overall (0-0 BIG EAST) on the season. Loyola, meanwhile improved to 3-1-1 overall, 0-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Villanova was without reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and leading scorer, Yusuf Cueceoglu, due to a family matter. Yet the Wildcats often had the better of play and owned a 12-6 advantage in shots over the Greyhounds over the course of 90 minutes.

"Being without Yusuf was a bigger problem than we thought it would be," Carlin stated. "We had to tweak some things in his absence. The approach was next man up, but it seemed like we were just a tick off tonight with our flow."

A scoreless first half continued into the second stanza. At 81:28, Loyola grabbed the lead thanks to a well-executed corner kick. The lofted ball into the box off the foot of Gabriel Carlsson found Loy Barry Sharifi, who redirected the shot via a header past Wildcats goalkeeper Will Steiner.

"It looked like one of those nights when you needed a clean sheet and it felt like that's where we were headed," stated Carlin. "Loyola has done some damage this season on corner kicks, though, and they got the one they needed against us."

Senior Max Kroschwitz was credited with three of the Villanova shots, including a pair on goal. Andreas Bartosinski had two shots of his own. But Loyola freshman goalkeeper Chase Vosvick made four saves in posting the shutout for the Greyhounds.

The Wildcats will look to climb back to level on the season on Wednesday night, when they visit Rider at 7 p.m.

"Unfortunately, we put ourselves in an early hole by dropping one to Temple at home (on Aug.. 29)," Carlin noted. "We've got to try to get that back on the road and Rider is our next opportunity to do that."