Men’s Soccer Downs Loyola Maryland 2-0, Clinches Spot in Patriot League Tournament

Friday, October 31

Baltimore, MD

6:00 p.m.

Army West Point

6-5-5, 4-3-1

Loyola Maryland

3-10-2, 2-5-1

Army West Point

Loyola Maryland

Men’s Soccer Downs Loyola Maryland 2-0, Clinches Spot in Patriot League Tournament

October 31, 2025 | Men's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BALTIMORE, Md. – For the second game in a row, the Army West Point men's soccer team picked up a crucial victory on the road, this time taking down Loyola Maryland 2-0 at the Ridley Athletic Complex on Friday night to clinch a spot in the Patriot League Tournament.

While exact seeding is still to be determined, Army (6-5-1, 4-3-1 Patriot) will play next Saturday, Nov. 8, in the Patriot League Tournament First Round. It's the first time since the 2022 season that the Black Knights will play postseason soccer. Army's six wins are also its most since the 2022 campaign.

Army was in complete control for all 90 minutes on Friday and once it jumped ahead, it never looked back. Senior defender Eric Lusskin had the best come of his collegiate career, as he broke the scoreless tie in the 35^th minute after converting on a free kick from outside the top of the box. It was a low line drive off his right foot to the bottom left of the goal and tucked just inside the post.

The goal marked the first goal of his collegiate career and just his first points since his freshman season in 2022. Lusskin has seen an increase in playing time with the absence of captain Owen Ennis, and he has taken advantage of it.

Army took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break. The Black Knights outshot the Greyhounds 5-3 in the opening 45 minutes. Goalkeeper Michael Guiry had to make just one save in the half.

Loyola Maryland came out strong in the second half, generating a couple chances on goal but Guiry held strong in net. Head coach Brian Plotkin subbed in a Justin Davidyock and Jack De Simone in the 60^th minute to try and put together some offense as the team looked to double its lead. Both De Simone and Davidyock score in Army's 2-0 win over Lafayette last week.

Just two minutes after the substitution, De Simone scored his fourth goal of the season to give Army a massive 2-0 lead with under 30 minutes to play. De Simone finished a great cross from Lusskin and has now scored in each of the last three games. For Lusskin, this marked his third point of the game and his first assist of the season.

Guiry had to make just one more save – in the 80^th minute – en route to his sixth shutout of the season and the third in his last four games. He is up to 48 saves on the year after stopping all three shots on goal on Friday. He has stopped 81.4 percent of shots on goal this season and is allowing just 0.92 goals per game.

Army finished the night with 11 shots – five on goal – while Loyola Maryland had eight shots with three coming on goal. The Black Knights also had the edge in corner kicks (8-5). Both teams made three saves.

Guiry moves to 6-2-4 on the season, while Connor O'Keefe is now 2-6-1.

Coaches Corner – Head coach Brian Plotkin
"I am really proud of the group. They have been pushing themselves every day to get better. We set a goal of training on November 5^th, and today they accomplished that. We will enjoy this tonight and tomorrow begin preparation for Tuesday against Colgate."

Up Next
The Black Knight return to action on Tuesday night at Malek Stadium for its regular season finale against Colgate. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+. Information regarding the postseason tournament will be available following the conclusion of the match.