Sept. 4, 2005

Box Score

RIVER FOREST, ILL. - Seniors Joe Nierzwicki and Dino Melitas scored second-half goals as Loyola (1-1) rallied past Xavier (0-1-1), 2-1, this afternoon in the finale of the 2005 Fr. Leo Sweeney Jesuit Cup at Concordia University in River Forest, Ill. The win was the first win with the men's team for head coach Brendan Eitz.

Xavier got on the board first against the run of play, as Jon Enders took a Bobby Salas feed and fired a rocket into the upper-right hand corner of the net in the 12th minute. Loyola continued to enjoy the majority of possession but struggled to convert it into goals. Melitas and Bill Metzger each had chances before Xavier missed a chance to double its advantage in the 35th minute but Chris Wolever clanged his header off the crossbar.

Loyola opened the second half strong and had a glorious chance to equalize in the 57th minute, as Lee Zarzecki rounded the keeper but had the ball taken off his foot from a last-second lunge from a Musketeer defender. However, just two minutes later, the Ramblers pulled even. A neat flick from Melitas set up Keum Sung Kim down the left flank and Nierzwicki beat two defenders to Kim's low cross, directing it inside the near post to knot the match, 1-1, in the 59th minute. Loyola pushed onward and were rewarded in the 85th minute. Metzger breached the Xavier defense and Eric Spiess' rocket was saved by the XU keeper, right to Melitas on the opposite side of the box and he made no mistake, burying a shot from 12 yards out for the gamewinner.

Loyola returns to action next Saturday when it takes on No. 12 Creighton at 7 p.m. in Omaha, Neb.