BOX SCORE LORETTO, Pa. (Aug. 29, 2014) – In front of a fired up home crowd the Saint Francis men's soccer team began the 2014 season with a 2-0 victory over the Loyola University Greyhounds.
 
"It's always good to start out at home with a win, said head coach Michael Casper. "We take a lot of pride playing at home and being tough to beat here. We are always happy with a result like that, two goals for and a clean sheet against is always a good thing."
 
The Red Flash (1-0) struck first as Pablo Medina (Monterrey, Mexico/IMG Academies) whipped in a corner only to be met by Francis de Vries (Christchurch, New Zealand/Cashmere).  The center back from New Zealand got enough power on the ball to put it past the out stretched hands of Loyola's (0-1) keeper Matt Sanchez for the goal. Three minutes later, in the 18th minute, the Red Flash struck again as Ryan Byers (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) took advantage of a poor touch from Loyola's goalkeeper, after reading the play well he managed an easy tap to make it 2-0 at halftime.
 
"We've been working a lot on set pieces," said coach Casper. "I thought Pablo served in a really good ball and Francis got up and got it, heading into the net with force. We've been working a lot on those types of plays. Challenging Francis to make a impact in that area and he did."
 
Saint Francis played a relatively strong 90 minutes, limiting the Greyhounds to nine shots in the game. The Saint Francis defenders held their opponents to 11 goals in the 2013 regular season.    
 
Andrew Garcia (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek Regional) recorded the shutout for the Red Flash, collecting three saves in the contest.
 
The Red Flash held a six to two margin over the Greyhounds in corner kicks.
 
Friday's 2-0 win marks the first program victory over Loyola University.
 
Saint Francis faces off against Duquesne Sunday at 5 p.m. in search of their first road victory of the season.