Calvert Hall rallies past Loyola in overtime

It was a big day on the campus of Calvert Hall on Tuesday, as the school  celebrated 50 years in Towson.  The day started when Archbishop O’Brien celebrated Mass, and it ended with the soccer team winning a 4-3  thriller over arch-rival Loyola in two overtimes.

No. 5 Loyola was coming off an impressive 2-1 win over the defending MIAA A Conference champion Mount St.Joseph and  they took the field like a house on fire.  The Dons appeared to be in complete control against the No. 18 Cardinals, scoring three unanswered goals in the first 23 minutes of play.

Elliott Andelman, Jamie Dubyoski and Mike Distler all found the nets for the Dons before Calvert Hall’s John Tune put the Hall on the board with 11 minutes to go in the first half.  Zach Wenger scored six minutes later to cut the Blakefield lead to one goal, and suddenly the pressure shifted to the Dons.

Tune scored again at 26:16 of the second half to tie the game, 3-3, and Hall keeper John Dillon, who took over for starter Kevin Snyder at the half, turned away shot after shot to keep the Cardinals in the game against an unrelenting Loyola attack.  The Dons out shot Calvert Hall by a 2-1 margin on the day.

After a scoreless first OT period, Wenger got his shoulder on a deflection 47 seconds into the second OT to give the Cardinals the win.

It was Wenger’s second goal of the day.

“It was a great ball from around mid-field from (Eric) Borkowicz,” said Wenger.  “He played the ball in and it seemed that the goalie was going to get up and challenge it, so I just kind of ran on to it.”

Tune praised Loyola.

“I gotta give it up for Loyola. They came out here as strong as anything. They were whipping us 3-0, but we stuck together.”

Hall coach Andy Moore said it was a big day for Calvert Hall.

“We’ve been talking a lot about mental toughness, and this was a gutsy win,” said Moore, who lauded the play of Tune and Wenger.

“Tune has had a hand in just about every goal this season, and Zach is the heartbeat of this team.”

Dillon praised Loyola.

“They pressured me all day,” said the junior.  “Coach told me to command the box, and be aggressive.”  

“We out shot them, and we controlled most of the game, but we made some crucial errors,” said Loyola coach Lee Tschantert. 

The Hall, which improved to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA A Conference, will host top ranked McDongh on Thursday and Loyola will face John Carroll at Blakefield.