WASHINGTON – American University men's soccer is set to face Loyola Maryland in the Patriot League semifinals on Wednesday night in Baltimore, looking to advance to its first Patriot League Championship since 2016.
 
QUICK INFO

• Date/Time: Wednesday, April 14, 7:00 p.m.
• Site: Baltimore, Md. (Ridley Athletic Complex)
• Series History: Loyola leads, 27-16-6
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Glenn Clark (pxp), Jamie Watson (color)

PLEASE FOLLOW US ONLINE ONLY; NO FANS OR SPECTATORS PERMITTED ON CAMPUS.

• Per Washington, D.C. and American University guidelines, and for the health and safety of our coaches, student-athletes and campus community, no spectators are permitted at athletics events in 2020-21.
• This policy is a stipulation of our approval to host athletic events from D.C. Department of Health and D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
• We do not anticipate a change in these guidelines this semester. Violators will be escorted from the site and jeopardize our ability to host athletic events for our student-athletes.
• All American University athletic events played on campus this spring will be streamed on ESPN+ (FAQ HERE) and can also be watched through the Patriot League's International Video Stream.
• Schedules and game updates can be found at www.AUeagles.com and our Twitter account @AUeagles.
• All scheduled events and start times are subject to change. 

LOYOLA SPECTACTOR POLICY

• At this time, no other fans (including those of visiting team student-athletes) will be permitted to attend games on Loyola's campus.

INSIDE THE SERIES

• This is the first time these programs have met in the PL Tournament.
• In this unique season, this will be the third matchup between the Eagles and the Greyhounds. It marks the first time AU will play a team three times in a season since doing so against William & Mary in 1997.
• American won the first matchup in exhilarating fashion, scoring the equalizer in the 89th minute before adding the game-winner five minutes into overtime. The second match was a 1-1 draw at Reeves Field.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• AU hasn't lost since their second game of the season, a 2-1 loss at Bucknell. The Eagles have played three straight overtime games, the first time that's happened since the 2013 season when AU played in four straight OT games from Oct. 12 - Oct. 26.
• With a win, the Eagles will advance to their first Patriot League Championship since 2016. American is also looking for their first PL title and NCAA Tournament berth since 2004.
• Two Eagles were recognized as All-Conference when the league announced the awards on Tuesday. David Coly and Nicolas Blassou, both first-year transfers, were named Second Team All-Patriot League. Coly has three goals this season, which is tied for the most in the Patriot League. Blassou has led the defense from his center back position, holding opponents to a .280 shots on goal percentage (21-of-75).
• Defensively, American rides a two-goalkeeper rotation. Senior Jake Agnew starts the first half, while freshman Lorenzo Gordon finishes the game. The Eagles hold a 0.91  goals against average (GAA), good for third in the Patriot League. Agnew was named PL Goalkeeper of the Week on March 23 after recording three saves on 13 shots faced at Loyola (3/20). Gordon ranks third in the league with a 0.72 GAA.
• American snuck into the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the PL South. Loyola earned the No. 1 seed with nine division points, while AU and Navy were tied with seven points. The head-to-head tiebreaker was invalid, since they tied, so Tiebreaker B was used, which is a comparison of winning percentage against non-tied divisional opponents from highest to lowest seed. AU beat No. 1 seed Loyola, and Navy lost to No. 1 seed Loyola, so the Eagles were awarded the No. 2 seed. 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LOYOLA

• Loyola is on a four-game unbeaten streak to end the season, going 3-0-1 since falling to AU in their season-opener on March 20.
• The Greyhounds picked up three major awards when the PL announced them on Tuesday. Sam Brown (Off. Player), Justin Ingram (Midfielder) and Chase Vosvick (Goalkeeper) were honored by the league for their efforts.
• Overall, six Greyhounds were placed on an All-Patriot League team (Swales - First, Ingram - First, Vosvick - First, Brown - Second, Sousa - Second, Denison - Third).
• Loyola has now qualified for the PL Tournament five seasons in a row. However, they have yet to advance in any PL Tournament games, going 0-3-1 since 2016. 

PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• American will be looking to break through some bad luck in the Patriot League Tournament under the leadership of second-year head coach, Zach Samol.
• Samol is looking to guide AU to its first PL title and NCAA tournament appearance since 2004, when the Eagles scored a 1-0 OT win over Lehigh in the finals, which was AU's second PL title (2001).
• But since winning the 2004 title, AU has failed to advance in the PL championship game seven straight times, including four straight times from 2009-12.
• The Eagles have played 11 overtime games in the PL Tournament, including most recently a 3-2 loss to Colgate in 2018. In OT games decided before penalty kicks, AU is 3-1.
• In OT games decided by penalty kicks, AU has advanced three out of seven times. 

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM

• In this unique season defined by divisional play, Wednesday's match will be the third time American and Loyola have faced off this season.
• The last time that happened was during the 1997 season when AU played William & Mary during the regular season, CAA Tournament, and the NCAA Tournament.
• The Eagles won all three matchups against the Tribe. That is the only other time AU has played an opponent three times in a single season. 

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

• With its remarkable location in Washington, D.C., American has long attracted students from all around the globe. The men's soccer program is no different.
• AU boasts a roster featuring eight international players from six different countries.
• England leads the way with three players calling it home (Dimitrijevic, McConnell, McGovern).
• Other countries represented on the AU roster include Bulgaria (Poelzlbauer), Cameroon (Zouantcha), Turkey (Bouregy), Senegal (Coly), and Sweden (Sjoberg). Additionally, Al-Ameen Salako was born in Nigeria, but calls Wilmette, Ill., home. 

STAYING LOCAL

• As global of a footprint that AU Men's Soccer has produced, local roots to soccer clubs in the DMV region also run deep.
• Five players from the Bethesda-Rockville area have made the short trek up the road to be an Eagle. Nicolas Blassou and Ben Severe both transferred to AU to be closer to home after beginning their careers at Kentucky and Villanova, respectively. Will Manogue, Kevin Ventura, and Tomas Martini join those two as Maryland natives on the roster. 
• Lorenzo Gordon is also not very far from his hometown of Fairfax, Va. Gordon is the only Virginia native on the squad this season. 

THE AMERICAN 500

• With the win over Loyola last month, American men's soccer reached 500 wins in program history.
• The program was established in 1949 and is competing in its 72nd season.
• The Patriot League boasts a rich men's soccer tradition, as eight other programs have also reached 500 wins.
• Of programs established after the 1930s, AU is one of three to reach the milestone (Boston U. - 1949, 560 wins, Loyola - 1940, 734 wins).

STACKING UP THE STATS

• Lorenzo Gordon has really shined in the first few games of his AU career.
• The rookie ranks second in the league in save percentage (.800) and is third in the league with a 0.72 GAA, only allowing two goals in 250 minutes between the pipes.
• AU is one of only four PL schools with two multi-goal scorers this season, joining Boston U., Lafayette, and Loyola.
• Kyle Hellmann (2) and David Coly (3) have both scored multiple times this season.

VIRTUALLY "PHIL" REEVES FIELD PRESENTED BY GEICO

• American University Athletics has announced a new virtual ticket campaign in an effort to sell out Reeves Field for the upcoming men's soccer season. This new season-long initiative, presented by "TEAM AU" partner GEICO, will challenge Eagles fans and alumni to virtually sell out each seat at Reeves Field for the 2021 men's soccer campaign. The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded. Click here to support AU Athletics by buying virtual tickets. 

HOW TO WATCH ESPN+

• A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $5.99/month or $59.99/year.

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Men's Soccer, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MSoccer), Facebook (/AU.MSoccer) and Instagram (@au.msoccer).