Redhawks advance to round 2 of NCAA soccer tournament with win over Loyola

No. 16 Seattle University won, 3-1, at Loyola Marymount in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Sullivan Field on Thursday night. Connor Noblat, Jesse Ortiz, and Harrison Kurtz scored as the Redhawks stretched their unbeaten streak to 15 games.

Seattle U (15-3-4) next heads to seventh-seeded Stanford on Sunday for the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at Stanford’s Cagan Stadium. The match will mark the first-ever meeting between the programs.

"I'm thrilled for the guys on this team," said Coach Pete Fewing. "LMU does a great job and it was a good game tonight. I was really pleased with our response after LMU tied it up in the second half. It was a complete effort-we had guys come off the bench (and score twice)." 

After a sluggish start, SU settled in as the first half rolled on. Julian Avila-Good carried the ball forward and then cycled a pass back to Hamish Ritchie, who lofted a high ball over the defense to a streaking Noblat, where the senior deposited his first goal of the year for a 1-0 lead in the 41^st minute. The Redhawks entered the half with the one-goal margin.

In the second half, the hosts found the tying goal in the 53^rd minute. Just over a minute later, Declan McGlynn was fouled 22 yards out. Ortiz stepped up to the free kick and bent in a line shot over the goalkeeper’s outstretched hand, putting SU back ahead, 2-1. The score marked Ortiz’s first collegiate goal.

The Redhawks continued to hunt for an insurance goal, and in the 79^th minute, they found the goal to close the match. McGlynn sprinted down the left side and dished to Noe Meza, who found Kurtz at the back post for a goal and a 3-1 advantage.

SU extended its unbeaten streak to 15 matches, good for second-longest in the nation, behind only Missouri State (19).

The Redhawks have now won an NCAA Tournament game in each of their four Division I appearances. They knocked off Creighton in 2013, UCLA in 2015, and Washington in 2017