Tight games between the Loyola and the Mount St. Joseph boys soccer teams have become an annual ritual, with all three 2005 contests between the reigning Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference co-champs ending in ties. Monday, in windy, wet conditions at Loyola, the close affairs continued but the Dons clawed their way to a 1-0 win.
“I thought it was a pretty even game,” said Loyola coach Kyle Swords. “For the longest time, both teams were feeling each other out. No guy wanted to be the one to make the mistake.”
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That cautious approach was reflected in the lack of quality scoring chances until late in the first half. Controlling play early, Loyola (2-1-0) bottled up Mount St. Joseph?s versatile star, Tyrone Hall, for most of the first half, but the Dons were unable to generate much themselves on the opposite end of the field.
The Dons? best chances in the first half came in the eighth minute on a wide free kick from midfielder and captain Mike Deasel, and in the 21st minute when a deflected ball went just wide from junior midfielder Steven LeVine during a scramble near the goal.
For the Gaels (2-1-1), their best opportunity came late in the half when they began using their speed to create chances, culminating in a free kick in the 39th minute from midfielder Stafford Chipungu Jr. that sailed over the top left corner of the goal.
The second half began with a little more action, as both sides began trying to play their talented forwards in on the net with long runs and long chip shots. But this only played into the strength of both backlines until Loyola finally broke through in the 67th minute.
After a missed cross across the Gael goal, Deasel collected the ball and placed a perfect cross to freshman striker Douglas Adjei. Being in the right position, Adjei headed the ball down into the keeper, who deflected it off the crossbar twice during the scramble. The second rebound fell by a pile of bodies beside the near post, where Adjei stayed with the play and buried the ball into the back of the net.
When asked about the goal, Swords chalked it up to hard work.
“It?s one of those things that takes heart,” he said, “and when you try hard, it goes in your favor.”
The last four minutes of the contest featured a bevy of chances for the Gaels, including corners, throw-ins into the box and a free kick from about 35 yards out. The Gaels? best opportunity came with 10 seconds left when Hall broke free in the box and fired a shot across the goal that was snatched by a diving Tim Petisch, the Dons? freshman goalkeeper.
Loyola will travel to St. Paul?s at 4 p.m. today, while MountSt. Joseph will host John Carroll at 4 p.m. Loyola will travel to Mount St. Joseph for a rematch on Sept. 29.
