Last season was bittersweet for the Loyola men’s soccer program — the team made it all the way to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championship, but fell to the University of Central Arkansas 2-1.
Shortly thereafter, head coach Neil Jones lost Pat Flinn and Michael Mauro, his two trusted assistants. Flinn and Mauro would go on to become the head coach and lead assistant coach respectively at the University of Chicago.
With the 2019 MVC tournament fast approaching, Jones credits their replacements — Steve Bode and Ricardo Pinto — with helping the Ramblers this year.
“[Bode] has good connections Midwest recruiting-wise and, while we have to coach our current players, we have to recruit future players.