If there were such a thing as a quarterback in soccer, Niall Lepper would be taking the snaps at Loyola College.

From the sweeper position, Lepper calls the signals, instructs his young teammates where to move and frequently makes long-range passes that turn into scores.

He is the backbone of an 11-4-3 Greyhounds team that enters the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament at Rider tomorrow as the top seed and favorite for a return trip to the NCAA tournament, where it reached the round of 16 last season, defeating Maryland along the way.

"He really deserves to be an All-American," said Loyola coach Mark Mettrick. "He's a franchise player in a lot of ways, leads by example and is absolutely committed to the game. Just a big cog in our team."

The reigning MAAC Player of the Year, Lepper provides leadership and savvy and is especially vital on a roster with 10 new players this season, including nine freshmen.

Inexperience has made Loyola less dominant outside the MAAC (all four losses and two ties), but, nonetheless, the team is where it wants to be in November - on a path to the nationals.

"It's been a different agenda this season," said Lepper, who played his freshman year at Mount St. Mary's under Mettrick before the coach and player both transferred to Evergreen. "We've got three new players in the back, and there has been a lot of building and adjustment."

Born in Falkirk, Scotland, Lepper was discovered by Mettrick through a mutual acquaintance who, like Lepper, played for the Scottish under-18 national team. The coach persuaded him to pursue a degree and play a high level of collegiate soccer rather than try the pros at home.

It has been a happy union. As a student, Lepper struggled at first, but now has raised his grade-point average to 3.0 and will graduate next year because some credits did not transfer from Mount St. Mary's to Loyola.

"It really hadn't crossed my mind to come to America," Lepper said. "I was looking to go pro in some capacity in Great Britain. Now, I want to get drafted by somebody here and continue to play the outdoor game."

Said Mettrick: "It'll be interesting to see the options he gets after the season. I think he can do that [play professionally] because of his technical ability and attitude."

Hardly a major scorer, Lepper will enter the tournament with three goals and two assists. He is responsible for taking the team's penalty kicks, but otherwise he rarely presses the opposing goal. His value is in defense, guidance and stability.

Loyola has the most impressive postseason history of all the Baltimore-area colleges, including a Division II national title in 1976. In the past 22 years, the team has had just two losing records.

"We always think we're capable of going to the nationals," Lepper said. "The name of Loyola is well-established."

Mettrick was hoping the Greyhounds did not oppose Fairfield, the other MAAC power, until the championship. He got his wish, as the teams earned the top two seeds. Because of their overall records, the MAAC is unlikely to receive an at-large bid to the NCAAs.

Regardless of the outcome, Mettrick said he is pleased with this team.

"This team has done very well," he said. "It was always going to be difficult to follow last year's success [17-2-2]. But we've got our chance to win the league again, and our season will be judged on that. Overall, these guys have done tremendously."

Lepper has had a big hand and foot in that.

NOTE: Elsewhere, Maryland is likely to receive an NCAA at-large bid regardless of what happens in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Cary, N.C. Based on records, strength of schedule and national rankings, as many as six ACC teams could go.

Conversely, UMBC must win the Northeast Conference tournament to reach the NCAAs. The host Retrievers lost the No. 1 seed to Long Island in the final week. They finished with identical NEC records, but LIU won the head-to-head matchup.