BALTIMORE, Md. – Freshman defender Victor Saade netted his first career goal to help the Midshipmen overcome an early deficit, as the Navy men's soccer team secured a 1-1 draw against Loyola in its Patriot League opener on Saturday evening at the Ridley Athletic Complex.
 
Scoring the equalizer just before halftime, Saade's tally helped the Mids move to 2-4-1 overall and 0-0-1 in league action, while Loyola shifted to 0-1-5 on the season and 0-0-1 in the league standings.
 
Loyola was able to strike early, as the Greyhounds were awarded a penalty kick after junior goalkeeper Pierce Holbrook fouled Rolando Onu in the eighth minute, with Jordy Luchies burying his attempt at the line to beat the diving Holbrook towards the left post.
 
Holbrook kept Loyola from extending the lead in the 18th minute when he sprawled out to stop Jake Sweeney near the left post, while sophomore A.J. Schuetz generated a pair of chances for Navy in the 28th minute that were both saved by Dylan van der Walt.
 
After another Holbrook save on Danilo Seglio in the 29th minute, Navy finally broke through in the 43rd minute when a free kick was deflected to Schuetz, who fired a shot that was rebounded out to Saade and the rookie tapped it in for the tying goal. The Mids nearly took the lead before halftime on senior Cristian Coelho's shot outside the box, but van der Walt stonewalled it to keep the tie intact.
 
Stopping Richie Nichols' free kick in the 54th minute, Holbrook snagged a dangerous Seglio cross in the 81st minute and watched a Sean McEvoy shot sail wide in the 89th minute, while Navy's offense created numerous chances but only had freshman Nate Stewart's shot in the 73rd minute make it on-target over the final 45 minutes of action.
 
Holbrook finished the day with three saves, while van der Walt notched six saves on his end.
 
Coach Tim O'Donohue Comments
"I was happy with the resilience of our group after going down early. Loyola has won the league in four of the last five seasons and are always a tough team to play on the road, so coming out with a draw is a positive result. Our passing and defensive organization were much better than they have been, and this group's best soccer is in front of us."
 
Match Notes
• Navy is now 5-6-4 in the all-time series with Loyola.
• Saade becomes the first member of the Navy freshman class to tally a goal and is the seventh different goal-scorer for the Mids this season.
• Navy has posted a draw in six of its last 10 Patriot League regular-season contests, going 3-1-6 since the start of league play in 2022.
• The Mids are now 4-3-1 in Patriot League openers under Tim O'Donohue.
 
Up Next
Navy travels to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Tuesday, Sept. 19, for a 7 p.m. non-conference match at Marist.