The Loyola soccer team ran into a rough patch in its schedule last week, losing to Mobile University, 2-0, at Spring Hill College, 3-0, and to Belhaven College, 6-0. The losses dropped the Wolfpack to 5-10 overall and 1-6 in Gulf Coast Athletic Conference play.
The team will travel to Jackson, Miss., to face Belhaven, where Coach Emmy Therrell said she hopes her team will apply what they learned in the last match against Belhaven.
The Mobile match took place at the NOSA Soccer Field last Wednesday. Loyola fell behind in the match’s 11th minute, as Mobile’s Caroline Baldwin’s shot deflected off Loyola goalkeeper Sara Arthrell, international business freshman, and into the net for a 1-0 Mobile lead. The Rams went on to score the match’s only other goal on a penalty kick. Mobile improved to nine wins on the season, with only one loss and one tie. Loyola goalkeepers combined for 16 saves in the match, on 18 Mobile shots.
Despite the loss, Therrell said she was pleased with her team’s performance.
“We played great versus Mobile,” she said. “I was really pleased with our game. Mobile and Belhaven are both excellent, excellent teams, and we played Mobile tough.”
The loss against Spring Hill on Saturday was more frustrating for the Wolfpack, as it came against a team they had downed 1-0 earlier in the season.
“I have to hand it to them, they outplayed us,” Therrell said. “We let the officiating frustrate us, and on the road, we weren’t as mentally tough as we needed to be.”
Spring Hill’s Erica Strachan scored all three of the game’s goals, including two in the first half. Loyola was outshot 17-2 in the game.
The team hosted Belhaven at Tulane’s Westfeldt Facility on Monday. Belhaven scored twice in the game’s first 15 minutes, improving to 6-1 in the GCAC.
“They passed the ball so accurately, and handled it so well, they had us running back to our goal on defense,” Therrell said.
“We’re excited to be able to play them again [on Saturday]. We feel we learned a lot about them. I think we’ll be better prepared to face them, knowing firsthand how talented they are and who are their dangerous players.”
Loyola missed three starters for stretches during the losing streak; Arthrell, forward Lindsay Diak, general studies sophomore, and defender Sam Shapiro, chemistry/pre-med sophomore. While Therrell maintained it’s no excuse, she said the losses did affect the team’s chemistry.
Loyola also played three games two weeks ago, falling 1-0 to William Carey on Oct. 14, losing at Puerto Rico, 4-2, on Oct. 16, and winning an exhibition match against Fraigcomar Futbol Club, 2-1, in San Juan on Oct. 17.
Forward and music business junior Michaela Bono said that she and her teammates are confident going into the season’s final two-game stretch.
“Our passing is coming together, we’re really communicating well,” she said. “We’ve been playing as teammates for awhile now. I think we’ll do well in the upcoming games.”
Ryan Arena can be reached at [email protected].
