No. 3 women's soccer hosts No. 6 Loyola (Md.) in Patriot League Quarterfinals on Sunday

WORCESTER, Mass.- The No. 3 seed Holy Cross women's soccer team will open the 2026 Patriot League Women's Soccer Championship by hosting No. 6 seed Loyola Maryland in the quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 8 at Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.

HOLY CROSS NOTES:

A year after hosting its first home playoff game in program history, Holy Cross will once again welcome postseason soccer to The Hill.
The Crusaders are coming off a historic regular season that saw them earn their highest league finish in seven years and set a new program record for Patriot League with five.
Holy Cross secured its first winning regular season since 2014, finishing with a 9-6-3 overall record, its highest single-season win total in more than a decade.
The Crusaders clinched the No. 3 seed after defeating Army West Point 2-1 in the regular season finale on Nov. 4.
Holy Cross became the first Patriot League team to score against Army this season, snapping the Black Knights' nearly 900-minute scoreless streak dating back to Sept. 6.

ALL-LEAGUE HONORS:

Fifth-year midfielder Sam Halligan of the Holy Cross women's soccer team has been named the 2026 Patriot League Women's Soccer Midfielder of the Year, the league announced on Friday.
Halligan also earned a spot on the First Team All-Patriot League, while seniors Abby Cushing and Karenna Beckstein were named to the second team and juniors Ava Graham and Caroline Bierfeldt earned third-team honors.
Halligan tallied eight goals and two assists across 13 total games. She earned Patriot League Midfielder of the Week honors on two occasions and was a TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week pick on Aug. 26. Halligan closed the regular season strong, scoring goals in each of her last three matches.
Cushing logged 12 points (5g, 2a), serving as a dynamic piece on offense in the regular season. Standout performances included three-points (1g, 1a) against Lafayette (Oct. 10) and her second career brace in a win at Lehigh (Oct. 17). She also earned one Forward of the Week honor from the league after posting a three points (1g, 1a) at Marist (Aug. 27).
Beckstein earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors for the second consecutive year anchoring the defensive in five shutouts and contributing nine points (4g, 1a) on offense. She delivered one of her most memorable performances in the Crusaders' come-from-behind victory over Colgate (Sept. 30), scoring twice in the final two minutes to rally Holy Cross to a 2-1 win.
Graham earned third-team honors after recording six points (2g, 2a) across 17 appearances and nearly 1,000 minutes during the regular season. She tallied points in three consecutive Patriot League matches, helping the Crusaders secure key victories over Lafayette and Lehigh.
Bierfeldt rounds out the award winners, earning a spot on the league's Third Team alongside Graham. She helped lead the Crusaders to five shutouts while also contributing offensively, scoring goals against Quinnipiac and Lehigh on headers off corner kicks.

GET TO KNOW THE GREYHOUNDS:

Loyola (Md.) finished the 2026 regular season 3-4-10 overall and 3-3-3 in Patriot League play.
The Greyhounds most recently dropped their regular season finale 2-1 against Navy on Wednesday.
Loyola's offense has been led by junior midfielder Betzael Contreras, who finished the regular season with nine points (4g, 1a). Graduate student midfielder Reagan Mallia and sophomore forward Savannah Manset also brought meaningful production throughout the season, tallying seven points (2g, 3a) each.
Senior Hannah Goetzer has served as the Greyhounds' primary goalkeeper this season, starting 16 matches and recording a 3-3-9 record.
Goetzer led the Patriot League in goals against average (0.77) and save percentage (.868)
Loyola (Md.) is led by Joe Mallia who is in his second head coaching stint with the program.

INSIDE THE SERIES:

Holy Cross is 3-6-4 in the all-time series with Loyola (Md.)
Last time out, the Greyhounds picked up a 2-1 victory against the Crusaders on Sept. 20.
Loyola snapped a nearly 280-minute scoreless streak by the Crusaders in the match.
The Greyhounds set the tone early as Mallia scored just five minutes into the match.
Holy Cross got the equalizer with a Beckstein penalty kick in the 76th minute but it would be responded to almost immediately as Manset put Loyola back ahead just over a minute later.
The Crusaders held a 17-6 in shots and posted a 7-6 edge in shots on goal in the loss.
Holy Cross led 8-2 in corners whereas Loyola had a 6-3 advantage in saves.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross women's soccer team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
X- @HCrossWSoccer | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrosswsoccer | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Women's Soccer | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross

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