Game Data

Loyola University Maryland wraps up ECAC Lacrosse League regular-season play on Saturday, April 20, when it travels to Geneva, N.Y., for a conference game at Hobart College.

Faceoff is set for 1 p.m. at Boswell Field.

Series History

The Greyhounds will meet Hobart for the 16th time in series history when the teams take the field on Saturday and the ninth time as ECAC foes. Both programs joined the league for the 2005 season.

Loyola holds a 12-3 advantage in the previous 15 games that have been played between the teams, including a 17-6 victory last season on April 21 in Geneva.

Mike Sawyer scored four goals and assisted on another, while Davis Butts and Scott Ratliff each added three points – Butts had two goals and an assist, while Ratliff tallied a goal and two assists.

In The Polls

Loyola checks in as the No. 8 team in both the USILA coaches and Inside Lacrosse media polls.

Last Time Out

Denver took five goals leads on two occasions, 8-3 just before halftime and 9-4 in the third quarter, but Loyola scored eight of the final 11 goals in regulation, tying the score at 12-12 on a Sean O’Sullivan strike with just over two minutes remaining.

Both teams had offensive possessions in the final minute, but neither scored and the game went to overtime. The Pioneers’ Cameron Flint picked up the ground ball off the opening faceoff of extra time and scored 16 seconds in to lift Denver to a 13-12 victory last Saturday.

Flint matched O’Sullivan and Mike Sawyer for game-high honors with four goals. Sawyer’s four were a season-best for him, and he added a pair of assists for six points.

Josh Hawkins scored twice in transition for the second game in a row, and Davis Butts and Zach Herreweyers each scored once. Justin Ward and Nikko Pontrello joined Sawyer with two assisted each.

Hawkins On The Fly

In just five games this year, Josh Hawkins has already eclipsed his previous high in goals, scoring seven this season to beat his total of six from last season and his 2010 freshman campaign.

The defensive midfielder has scored twice in each of Loyola’s last two games and has at least one goal in every game he’s played this year.

He has put 10-of-16 shots on goal and scored on 43.8-percent of his total shots.

In 45 career games, Hawkins has scored 22 goals and has eight assists as a short-stick defender.

O’Sullivan Shooting On Target

Sean O’Sullivan’s game-tying goal with 2:11 to play in the third quarter against Denver gave him four for the game, tying his career-high set on February 25, 2012, against Towson.

The senior needed just four shots against the Pioneers to score his four goals. This season, O’Sullivan has scored his 14 goals on just 35 shots (.400 shot percentage), and he is putting 74.3-percent of his total shots on goal (26-of-35). His 14 goals rank third on the team this season.

Sawyer Has Season-Best Game

Mike Sawyer put up his best offensive numbers of the season last Saturday against Denver, scoring four goals and assisting on two for six points. All of those represented season-highs in the respective categories.

Sawyer is tied with Justin Ward for the team lead with 23 goals this season, and his 2.3 goals per game lead the team.

He scored the game’s first goal against Denver 32 seconds into the contest, picking up a ground ball at midfield and racing down the right side for a goal, and he added his second with 4:22 left in the fourth quarter. Sawyer then tallied two in a row within 26 seconds of each other late in the fourth quarter to draw the Greyhounds within a goal.

In 54 career games, Sawyer has scored 115 goals and has 23 assists for 139 points.

Earlier this year, against UMBC, he became the eighth player in school Division I history to reach 100 goals, and his 115 total place him in a tie for third with Tim O’Shea on the Division I career chart. He is five behind Gewas Schindler in second and 18 back of Pat Lamon in first. Sawyer’s 139 points rank 11th in school Division I history.

Ratliff Sets Record

Scott Ratliff did something believed to be a first in the modern era of college lacrosse  (circa 1971) on April 6 in the Greyhounds’ win over visiting Fairfield. The senior long-stick midfielder scored four goals, becoming the first player with a pole to do so.

Ratliff scored once off a Loyola faceoff win, a second time on a give-and-go in transition with Pat Laconi and twice more off set plays in settled offense with feeds from Justin Ward and Nikko Pontrello.

In recent years, at least two long-sticks, Duke’s C.J. Costabile and Bryant’s Mason Poli, have recorded hat tricks.

Defensively Speaking

Loyola allowed just 22 goals over a four-game stretch from March 20-April 6, an average of 5.5. In the first two games, at Georgetown and Michigan, the Greyhounds gave up just one goal before halftime, and they then allowed only one after the break at Ohio State.

In those four games, Loyola’s opponents have made just 19.8-percent of their shots, converting on 22-of-111 attempts.

The Greyhounds forced 67 turnovers in the games, as Georgetown committed 20, Michigan had 18, Ohio State, 16 and Fairfield, 13. Of those 67 turnovers, Loyola was credited with 44 caused turnovers.

The 17 caused at Georgetown were the most this season by Loyola and the most by a Greyhounds’ team since they posted 19 in back-to-back games against St. John’s and Massachusetts in March 2009.

CLASSy Senior Candidate

Last week, Scott Ratliff was named one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, an honor given yearly to a NCAA Division I senior who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition

Ratliff has continued his high production on defense, transition and offense that helped him earn USILA All-America Third Team and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year honors a year ago when he led the team last year in ground balls (88) and caused turnovers (37), was fifth in goals (12) and seventh in assists (7).

He had one of his stat-sheet filling games against Air Force, scoring a goal and assisting on another while picking up five ground balls and causing three turnovers, and he turned in another with a goal, four ground balls and two caused turnovers while going 4-of-4 on faceoffs against Georgetown. Ratliff came one shy of his career-high with eight ground balls at Michigan.

His career totals now stand at 27 goals and 13 assists, and his 40 career points are second-most among active long-poles to Bryant’s Mason Poli. Last year, he set the school’s single-season long-pole scoring record with 12 goals and seven assists, eclipsing the previous high of 16 points on 11 goals and five assists set in 1995 by current Loyola assistant coach Matt Dwan.

Additionally, Ratliff now stands 10th in school Division I history in career ground balls (197) and second in caused turnovers (85). His caused turnovers are five shy of tying the school record set in 2008 by P.T. Ricci.

Defensive Midfield Production

Loyola’s defensive midfield had a productive game against Fairfield, finishing the outing with six goals, an assists, six caused turnovers and six ground balls.

This season, long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff has posted 11 goals and three assists, good for fifth on the team with 14 points, while short-stick Pat Laconi has four goals and five points, and fellow short-stick Josh Hawkins has five goals and an assist.

Another Multi-Point Venture For Ward

With two assists against Denver, Justin Ward had his 12th multi-point effort in as many games this season. He has now tallied at least two points in all 12 games this season, and he has three or more in eight of those outings.

In the Georgetown game, he became the 10th player in the program’s Division I history (since 1982) to log 50 or more assists in his career. With 58 career assists, Ward now stands ninth in school Division I history, one shy of Pat Lamon’s 59 in eighth place.

Ward put up his second game with seven or more points on March 16 against Air Force, logging seven with two goals and five assists in the win over the Falcons. His five assists tied his career-high, set twice in 2012 against Towson and Fairfield.

On February 26, against UMBC, as the junior finished with seven goals and three assists for 10 points. His goal and point outputs were career-highs. He became the first player to score at least seven goals in a game since Gavin Prout tallied eight in a 19-11 win at Hobart on April 28, 2001.

Ward’s 10-point effort was the first 10-point game for a Greyhound since Tim Goettelmann tallied the same amount in a 19-9 win on March 25, 2000, against Fairfield. In that game, Goettelmann scored four goals and had six assists. Later that season, he would score seven goals on May 16 in the NCAA First Round against Notre Dame.

Through 10 games this year, Ward leads the team with 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points.

Pontrello Keeps Tallying Points

Nikko Pontrello notched his third hat trick of the season on March 30 at Ohio State, scoring a game-high three against the Buckeyes. He also had three-goal outings against UMBC and Air Force earlier this year.

In his first season as a starter, Pontrello has scored 13 goals while assisting on 14 for 27 points, second most on the team. As a freshman in 2012, he scored four goals and assisted on six.

He posted his second six-point game this season March 16 against Air Force, scoring a career-high four goals to go with two assists. He scored in the first quarter, tallied a pair during Loyola’s 4-0 third-quarter run and added his fourth in the final frame. Earlier this year against UMBC, Pontrello posted three goals and three assists for six points against the Retrievers.

Fletcher Turns Up ‘D’

Joe Fletcher earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on March 18 after picking up three ground balls and causing a turnover against Air Force. More impressive was the defense Fletcher played on Air Force’s offensive quarterback, preseason All-American Keith Dryer.

Dryer entered the game with four goals and a team-leading 10 assists, but Fletcher held him without a point.

This season, Fletcher, who was a Preseason All-America First Team honoree, has 37 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers.

Offensive Addition

Freshman Zach Herreweyers made his first career start on March 16 against Air Force on attack for the Greyhounds, and he made his debut to the opening 10 an impressive one.

Herreweyers scored his first collegiate goal with 12.3 seconds left in the first quarter, and he finished with a hat trick, tallying goals for Loyola in the third and fourth quarters, as well. He also picked up three ground balls.

He followed that game with a four-goal outing Wednesday at Georgetown, a hat trick at Michigan and a goal and an assist at Ohio State.

The freshman from London, Ontario, made his collegiate debut against Duke on March 8. In five games played, he is tied for fourth on the team with 11 goals.

Herreweyers became the first Loyola freshman to score three times in a game since current senior Patrick Fanshaw scored five goals and assisted on another on March 20, 2010, also against Air Force.

Helmet Stickers

Loyola players are wearing three stickers on their helmets this season to remember those who have passed away. The stickers are in memory of Adam Pomper, a member of the 2012 team who passed away on June 12, 2012, Mandy O’Sullivan, mother of current players Sean and Ryan O’Sullivan who died in March 2012 from pancreatic cancer, and the 26 victims of the Newtown, Conn., shooting in December 2012 where Loyola put on a youth lacrosse clinic in January.

Well-Represented In MLL Draft

Five members of the Loyola men’s lacrosse team were selected in the top 26 of the January 11 Major League Lacrosse draft. The Greyhounds tied Virginia for the most draft picks in the selection process.

Josh Hawkins and Mike Sawyer were both taken in the first round, going fifth and eighth overall to the Hamilton Nationals and Charlotte Hounds, respectively.

Scott Ratliff was the first pick of the second round, going ninth to the Boston Cannons, and Davis Butts was taken early in the third round, 19th overall to the Denver Outlaws. Joining Hawkins in Hamilton will be Reid Acton, the team’s fourth round pick, 26th overall.

Sawyer will be joined in Charlotte by former teammate Eric Lusby who was the top waiver pick after the NCAA season ended in early June. After missing the majority of the MLL season with an injury, the NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Player made his MLL debut on July 28 at Long Island and scored a goal. He then tallied three goals  in an August 11 win over Rochester.

Preseason Accolades

Six Loyola players were named to the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America teams: defender Joe Fletcher and short-stick midfielder Josh Hawkins (first team); attackman Mike Sawyer and long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff (second); midfielder Davis Butts (third); and, defender Reid Acton (honorable mention).

All six earned All-America honors last season with Sawyer earned Second Team honors and Ratliff was named to the Third Team. Acton, Butts, Fletcher and Acton earned Honorable Mention along with graduate student Eric Lusby.

In his first year as a starter, Fletcher was named to the NCAA and ECAC Championships All-Tournament Teams and earned a reputation as one of the top defenders in the nation. In 19 games as a sophomore, Fletcher caused 26 turnovers, second most on the team, and had 41 ground balls.

Hawkins has continued to be one of the top defensive midfielders in the nation and garnered considerable respect nationally for his play during the NCAA Championships. He earned NCAA All-Tournament honors and helped the Greyhounds limit Notre Dame and Maryland to a combined eight goals on Championships weekend. In addition to his six goals and two assists in 15 games last year, Hawkins was second on the team with 63 ground balls.

Sawyer was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top player last season when he scored 52 goals and assisted on 10 more and was named the team’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. During the regular-season, he led the ECAC in goals and goals per game while earning All-ECAC First Team honors. He became the second player to score 50 or more goals in a season and was joined by a third on last year’s team.

Ratliff continued to be one of the top long-stick midfielders in the nation and set a Loyola scoring record for the position last year. He finished with 12 goals and seven assists, exceeding current Loyola Assistant Coach Matt Dwan’s previous record for a long-stick midfielder set in 1995. In addition to his scoring, he tallied 88 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers while earning ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, ECAC Championships Most Valuable Player, NCAA All-Tournament Team and team co-defenisve player of the year honors.

Butts was a first-line midfielder for the Greyhounds for the second year in a row. He excelled as a dodger and finisher and ranked fourth on the team in points (35) and third in goals scored (21). A versatile player, Butts also saw plenty of action on the wings of faceoffs and in the defensive midfield where he picked up 40 ground balls.

Acton will enter 2013 having started on the Greyhounds’ defense each of the last three years. He finished the 2012 season with 44 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers, while helping Loyola record a 7.21 goals allowed per game average, the fifth-best mark in Division I. The Greyhounds set a pair of defensive records during Championship Weekend, holding Notre Dame and Maryland to a combined eight goals in the two games and allowing the Terrapins just three in the title match.

Toomey Receives Morris Touchstone Award

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career, and in December, he received the coaches association’s Morris Touchstone Award as the national coach of the year.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

The win over Georgetown this was the 70th victory of his coaching career, becoming the second coach in Loyola history to win 70 or more, joining – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001).

Big Runs

Last season, runs of three-plus goals were critical in the Greyhounds success, as they had runs of 3-0 or better in all 19 games. In all, Loyola scored three or more in a row on 37 occasions last year.

The Greyhounds have opened the 2013 season in similar fashion as they scored three-straight in the second quarter to take a 4-2 lead against Delaware after trailing, 2-1. They then had two runs of 3-0 or better at Towson.

Against UMBC, Loyola had a 3-0 first-half run before putting together a 10-0 stretch in the third and fourth quarters. The Greyhounds then had a 4-0 run that spanned both halves to help beat Bellarmine, and they runs of 3-0 and 4-0 to beat Air Force.

In the Georgetown game, Loyola had its longest run of the year, scoring eight straight.

At Ohio State, the Greyhounds went on a 6-0 run that spanned the final three quarters to take control of the game. A 5-0 first-quarter run spurred the win over Fairfield.

Second-Half Success

Last season, the Greyhounds outscored opponents 66-22 in the third quarters of games, and 123-63 overall in the second half (including overtime). The second-half scoring continued a trend from 2011 when Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56.

This year, Loyola is outscoring opponents 47-21 in the third quarter and 73-50 overall after halftime.

Keith Booth Named Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach

BALTIMORE – No stranger to Loyola University Maryland athletics or the Baltimore-Washington metro area, Keith Booth has been named an assistant coach for the Loyola men’s basketball team, head coach G.G. Smith announced today.

Booth, 38, has served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Loyola for the last two seasons and was an assistant coach at the University of Maryland from 2004-2011 for then head coach Gary Williams.

“I am excited that Keith will be bringing his basketball knowledge as a player, coach and recruiter to our staff,” Smith said. “In learning to know him as a co-worker at Loyola for the past two years, I have seen that he has a tremendous care for players, and (Loyola head women’s basketball coach) Joe Logan could not have spoke higher of Keith as a person or a coach.

“Keith brings an broad understanding of not only Baltimore basketball and recruiting, but his experience as a player and coach at Maryland and player in the NBA will be huge benefits to our program.”

A Baltimore native, Booth played at Dunbar High School, earning Parade and McDonald’s All-America honors for the Poets in 1993. He helped guide his team to the Maryland Class ‘A’ State Championship and was named the Baltimore City and State of Maryland Player of the Year that season by The Baltimore Sun.

“It is an honor to continue to be a part of Loyola athletics, and I am looking forward to working with these players and Coach Smith to continue the success Loyola men’s basketball has accomplished,” said Booth.

He continued his playing career at the University of Maryland as one of Williams’ first major recruits to College Park. Booth led the Terrapins to four NCAA Tournaments, including a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances, helping Maryland begin its streak of 11 consecutive NCAA berths in 1994.

In his senior season at Maryland, Booth led the Terrapins in scoring (19.5 ppg), rebounding (7.9 rpg) and steals (2.0 spg) and is still Maryland’s all-time leader in free throws made (576). Booth finished his impressive career at Maryland among the program’s all-time leaders in scoring (9th, 1,776 points), rebounding (6th, 916 points), steals (5th, 193) and he is one of 15 players to have his jersey honored above the Terrapins’ home court at Comcast Center.

Booth earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors four times at Maryland, garnering honorable mention as a freshman and sophomore before receiving second-team honors as a junior and first-team laurels in his final season, 1996-1997.

He was a member of the Associated Press All-America Third Team following his senior season. Booth played alongside the likes of Joe Smith, Rodney Elliott and Johnny Rhodes in his four seasons as a Terrapin.

Booth’s teams appeared in two NCAA Sweet Sixteens and finished his sophomore season as ACC regular season co-champions and ranked No. 10 in the country in the final AP poll. That year (1994-95), the Terrapins compiled a 26-8 record, including a perfect 16-0 record at Cole Field House. Booth finished his Maryland career with averages of 14.1 points per game and 7.3 rebounds.

After completing his career at Maryland, Booth was a first-round draft pick (28^th overall) in 1997 by the NBA’s Chicago Bulls. He was a member of the Michael Jordan-led Bulls team that won the 1998 NBA Championship.

Booth continued his basketball career as a coach, earning his bachelor of arts in criminology and criminal justice degree from Maryland in 2003. He became an assistant at Maryland in 2004 and helped guide the Terrapins to no fewer than 19 wins in his seven seasons on Williams’ bench.

During his time at Maryland, the team reached three NCAA Tournaments and compiled an overall record of 146-87 (.627). The 2009-2010 version of the Terrapins went 13-3 in ACC action and tied for the conference regular-season title.

Denver Scores 16 Seconds Into Overtime To Edge Men’s Lacrosse

BALTIMORE – Cameron Flint picked up a ground ball off the opening faceoff of overtime, ran the length of the field and scored 16 seconds into overtime to lift visiting University of Denver to a 13-12 victory over Loyola University Maryland in front of 3,285 at Ridley Athletic Complex in an ECAC Lacrosse League game.

The Greyhounds (9-3 overall, 5-1 ECAC) trailed by as many as five goals twice during the game, at halftime when Denver’s Eric Law scored with five seconds to go in the second quarter, and late in the third quarter when Sean Cannizzaro tallied an unassisted goal at 4:01.

Canizzaro’s goal from just in front of the crease pushed the Pioneers’ lead to 9-4, but Loyola reeled off three goals in the quarter’s final three minutes to pull within a pair, 9-7.

Zach Herreweyers started the run when Pat Laconi came into the box on transition and sent a pass to goal-line extended on the right side where Herreweyers got to the crease and used a shot-fake to score at 3:54.

Sean O’Sullivan, who tied Mike Sawyer and Flint for game-high honors with four goals, scored his second extra-man goal of the game at 1:57 off a Sawyer assist.

After Jack Runkel made a save for Loyola and sent an over-the-top outlet pass to Josh Hawkins, the defensive midfielder scored on an overhand seven-yard try to make it 9-7 Denver with 16 ticks left in the third.

The Pioneers (10-2, 5-0), however, scored the first two of the final period in regulation as Eric Adamson tallied one by rolling off a check and shooting form the left side 1:58 into the quarter. Gordie Koerber then scored 58 seconds later off a Garrett Holst assist in transition, and Denver’s lead was back to four, 11-7.

O’Sullivan recorded his third of the game at 10:50, scoring after Nikko Pontrello reversed the ball from right-to-left, creating space for O’Sullivan.

Denver took possession after the faceoff following O’Sullivan’s goal – the Pioneers won 18-of-28 restarts – but Reid Acton caused a turnover and picked up the ground ball for Loyola. He got an outlet pass to Hawkins who again cleared it himself, scoring with another overhand shot at 9:20.

Adamson momentarily stopped the Loyola run for the Pioneers, scoring his second of the quarter with 8:40 remaining to make it 12-9 Denver.

Sawyer restarted the rally for Loyola, tallying a pair within 26 seconds. His first was a behind-the-head highlight reel shot from the right side of the crease after Justin Ward threaded a pass in front of the crease to Sawyer’s stick.

His second came unassisted as he ran from right to left, burying the shot at 6:03 to draw the Greyhounds within a goal, 12-11.

O’Sullivan tied it with his career-high tying fourth of the game at 2:11, whipping a sidearm show from 12 yards out after a Pontrello pass. It marked the game’s first tie since Eric Law gave the Pioneers a 2-1 lead at 11:02 of the first quarter.

Denver had an offensive possession in the final minutes thwarted when Scott Ratliff caused a turnover by Adamson and picked up the ground ball. Loyola cleared it to its offensive end, but a Sawyer shot sailed wide and the teams headed to overtime.

The Pioneers used a 10-3 advantage in faceoff wins in the first half to build its five-goal halftime advantage, scoring four unanswered in the first quarter after Sawyer tallied the game’s first score just 32 seconds in.

Sawyer finished with a season-high six points on four goals and two assists. O’Sullivan scored four time, and Hawkins tallied two, while Herreweyers and Davis Butts each added goals for the Greyhounds. Pontrello, Sawyer and Justin Ward each had two assists, and Laconi added another.

Ratliff posted four ground balls and three caused turnovers, and Jack Runkel made 13 saves on defense for the Greyhounds.

The loss snapped a 13-game ECAC winning streak for the Greyhounds, dating back to March 2011.

Quotes from Texas Tech Head Coach Tubby Smith about his son, G.G.:

“It is a great day for the Smith family; it is a great feeling, and I am really proud of G.G., not only as his mentor and father, but also as his former college coach, watching him grow and mature into the person he is today. He was part of some of the six or seven winningest years of my coaching career, so he has the pedigree of being around winning programs. He has also benefitted being with Jimmy Patsos and helping restore that program to greatness at Loyola.

“His mom, and I… you are talking about one proud mother and father. He is a credit to our profession. He has always done things the right way, growing up as a youngster, as a player, as an assistant coach, and I believe he will be as a head coach. He is a remarkable, hard-working person. G.G. was mature beyond his age as a kid, and he has a beautiful family now with Lorie and Jayne.

“Anything I can do to help him and the Loyola program, I am happy to do it. We will be in constant contact, as we always are.

“There are a lot of proud family members in the Maryland area because that is where G.G. was born (Leonardtown, Md.). I think it was destiny that he became a head coach in that state.”

G.G. Smith Named Loyola University Maryland Men’s Basketball Coach

BALTIMORE – Orlando “G.G.” Smith has been named the head men’s basketball coach at Loyola University Maryland, the school’s president, Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J., announced today at a press conference in Reitz Arena.

Smith, who is the son of current Texas Tech University Head Coach Tubby Smith, has been an assistant at Loyola for the past six seasons under former coach Jimmy Patsos.

“At Loyola, we take great pride in a Greyhounds athletics program where our students’ achievements and contributions in the classroom and in the community are as remarkable as their accomplishments in competition,” Fr. Linnane said. “G.G. Smith shares this commitment, and I know he will build on our program’s recent successes to bring even greater excitement and spirit to Loyola basketball and our university.”

Smith, 36, is the 20^th head coach in Loyola history and takes the reins of a program that won 62 games over the last three seasons and reached the postseason in each of the last two.

“It is an honor to be asked to continue building on what Loyola men’s basketball has accomplished,” Smith said. “Loyola is a wonderful school that has been a great home for the last six years, and I look forward to leading the program going forward. I would like to thank Father Linnane, (executive vice president) Susan Donovan, (vice president) Marc Camille and (assistant vice president and director of athletics) Jim Paquette for their support and commitment to Loyola basketball and me.”

Smith was a three-year starter at guard at the University of Georgia where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1999, and he later received his master’s degree from the University of Kentucky.

“G.G. is the right person to lead our men’s basketball program as Loyola transitions to the Patriot League next season,” said Jim Paquette, Loyola’s assistant vice president and director of athletics. “His knowledge of basketball, care for our student-athletes and desire to develop them as leaders has been evident in his time at Loyola, and we are excited that G.G. will build on the success Loyola basketball has achieved in recent years.”

As a member of the Loyola coaching staff, Smith helped guide the Greyhounds to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1994 when Loyola won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title in 2012. That season, the Greyhounds won a school Division I record 24 games and also were successful in a school-best 13 conference games.

“G.G. was a huge part of our success,” Patsos said of his former assistant. “G.G. is not only a tremendous coach, but he is a better person. His knowledge of the game is outstanding, and I believe that he will be a great leader of the program going forward.”

During his time at Loyola, Smith has handled many on-court coaching and scouting responsibilities for the Greyhounds. In the last two seasons, Loyola posted its first two Division I 20-win seasons, and this year’s trip to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament Quarterfinals marked the first back-to-back postseason appearances since 1951-1953.

Smith has been instrumental in the development of Loyola guard Dylon Cormier, a back-to-back All-MAAC performer who earned First Team honors in 2012-2013 when he averaged 16.4 points per game. In his six years at Loyola, Smith has coached 10 All-MAAC performers, four members of the league’s All-Rookie Team, four MAAC Sixth Players of the Year and a Rookie of the Year.

“I am very excited that G.G. Smith is our next coach,” Cormier said. “He has played at the highest levels, and as a team, we are looking forward to playing for him. He knows us as players, but he knows so much about basketball that we love to learn from him.”

Prior to joining the staff at Loyola prior to the 2007-2008 season, Smith was an assistant at nearby Johns Hopkins University in 2006-2007, helping the Blue Jays to a 24-5 record and berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

He spent two seasons, 2004-2006, at Armstrong Atlantic State University. The Pirates finished 23-8 in 2005-2006 and earned a No. 2 seed in that season’s NCAA Division II Tournament. Smith was an assistant at Tennessee Tech University in 2002-2003 when the Eagles went 21-10 and were the runners-up in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

After graduating from Georgia, Smith was an assistant coach for a year at Lexington (Ky.) Catholic High School before spending two years, 2000-2002, as a graduate assistant coach at the Kentucky. The Wildcats advanced to a Sweet Sixteen and won an Southeastern Conference regular-season title in his time at Rupp Arena.

“While all of us at Loyola know that the men’s basketball coaching position is a great job and the vacancy comes at an exciting point in time due to the team’s recent successes and the University’s impending move to the Patriot League, it quickly became evident to me that the college basketball world has caught on as well,” said Marc Camille, Ed. D. Loyola’s vice president of enrollment management and communications, who chaired the search process. “The level of interest in the position from quality candidates around the country made the process of narrowing down the pool more challenging, but equally so, more promising. We could not be more pleased with how things turned out.”

Smith earned his bachelor of science in health and physical education from Georgia in 1999. He was a three-year starter and four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs as a point guard. He earned All-SEC Third Team honors and helped Georgia advance to the NCAA Tournament twice, including to the 1996 Sweet Sixteen.

He graduated as the program’s all-time leader in games played (129), wins in a season (24) and 3-pointers in a game (three).

Smith then earned his master’s degree in education in sports management from Kentucky in 2002.

Smith, and his wife, Lorie, have a young daughter, Jayna.

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland plays its final regular-season home game of the 2013 season on Saturday, April 13, when it host the University of Denver at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Faceoff is slated for 1 o’clock. The Greyhounds will celebrate Senior Day, beginning at approximately 12:40 p.m. and will honor their 14 players who will take the field at Ridley for the final time in regular-season action: Reid Acton, Michael Bonitatibus, Davis Butts, Phil Dobson, Patrick Fanshaw, Tyler Foley, Will Fredericks, T.J. Harris, Josh Hawkins, Harry Kutner, Chris Layne, Sean O’Sullivan, Scott Ratliff, and Mike Sawyer.

Series History

Loyola and Denver will meet for the sixth time in series history when the teams take the field on Saturday. The Greyhounds hold a 3-2 lead in the all-time series with all three of those victories coming last season.

The Greyhounds won all three games last year, but by just five combined goals.

Loyola used a 5-1 run to close the game, overcoming an 8-7 third-quarter deficit on April 14, 2012, in Denver to beat the Pioneers, 12-9, in last year’s regular-season meeting.

The teams met again with Loyola as the No. 1 seed, and Denver the fourth, in the ECAC Semifinals on May 2, again in Denver. Loyola opened up a 13-6 lead with 13:14 left in regulation before the Pioneers scored seven-straight to tie the game at 13-13 with 3:30 remaining on the clock. Scott Ratliff picked up the ground ball to start overtime, and he scored eight seconds later, lifting Loyola to the ECAC title game.

Last year’s final meeting came at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md., in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Greyhounds built a 10-6 lead early in the fourth quarter and held off a Pioneers’ charge to win 10-9 and advance to the NCAA Semifinals. Eric Lusby had five goals and two assists in the win.

In The Polls

Loyola remained at No. 5 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll this week while checking in at No. 6 in the USILA Coaches rankings.

Denver enters Saturday’s game third in the media version, fourth in the coaches’.

Last Time Out

Loyola’s defensive midfield combined for six goals and an assist, as the Greyhounds raced out to a 6-2 first-quarter lead and finished with a 13-7 victory on Saturday over Fairfield University.

The Stags scored the game’s first goal 4:28 in, but Kevin Ryan scored on an extra-man possession at 8:44, and nine seconds later, Scott Ratliff ripped a 12-yard shot after a face-off win, and Loyola was in front for good.

Ratliff finished with four goals, and Josh Hawkins added two from the defensive midfield, while their running mate Pat Laconi assisted on a Ratliff goal. Justin Ward added two goals and two assists, and Mike Sawyer scored twice.

Ryan and Ratliff’s goals were the first two of a 5-0 run that the Greyhounds extended to 7-1 in the second quarter.

Ratliff Sets Record

Scott Ratliff did something believed to be a first in the modern era of college lacrosse  (circa 1971) on Saturday in the Greyhounds’ win over visiting Fairfield. The senior long-stick midfielder scored four goals, becoming the first player with a pole to do so.

Ratliff scored once off a Loyola faceoff win, a second time on a give-and-go in transition with Pat Laconi and twice more off set plays in settled offense with feeds from Justin Ward and Nikko Pontrello.

In recent years, at least two long-sticks, Duke’s C.J. Costabile and Bryant’s Mason Poli, have recorded hat tricks.

Hawkins, Ratliff Earn ECAC Honors

After the standout performance by the Loyola defensive midfield, short-stick Josh Hawkins and long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff were named the ECAC Specialist and Co-Defensvie Players of the Week, respectively on Monday.

Ratliff scored four goals, had four caused turnovers and three ground balls, while Hawkins posted two goals, two ground balls and a caused turnover.

The award is the first of Hawkins’ career, while Ratliff earned his sixth (four defensive, two specialist).

During the last six weeks, Jack Runkel, Scott Ratliff (twice), Joe Fletcher (twice) and Reid Acton have been named the week’s top defender. Also, during that stretch, Justin Ward and Zach Herreweyers were named Offensive Players of the Week.

Defensively Speaking

Loyola has allowed just 22 goals over its last four games, an average of 5.5. In the first two games, at Georgetown and Michigan, the Greyhounds gave up just one goal before halftime, and they then allowed only one after the break at Ohio State.

In the four games, Loyola’s opponents have made just 19.8-percent of their shots, converting on 22-of-111 attempts.

The Greyhounds have forced 67 turnovers in the games, as Georgetown committed 20, Michigan had 18, Ohio State, 16 and Fairfield, 13. Of those 67 turnovers, Loyola was credited with 44 caused turnovers.

The 17 caused at Georgetown were the most this season by Loyola and the most by a Greyhounds’ team since they posted 19 in back-to-back games against St. John’s and Massachusetts in March 2009.

Entering the game against Fairfield, Loyola is fifth in Division I with 10.0 caused turnovers per game. Four players – Scott Ratliff (14th, 2.09), Pat Laconi (36th, 1.55), Joe Fletcher (65th, 1.27) and Reid Acton (70th, 1.2) – are ranked among the nation’s top 70 in caused turnovers per game.

CLASSy Senior Candidate

Earlier this week, Scott Ratliff was named one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, an honor given yearly to a NCAA Division I senior who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition

Ratliff has continued his high production on defense, transition and offense that helped him earn USILA All-America Third Team and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year honors a year ago when he led the team last year in ground balls (88) and caused turnovers (37), was fifth in goals (12) and seventh in assists (7).

He had one of his stat-sheet filling games against Air Force, scoring a goal and assisting on another while picking up five ground balls and causing three turnovers, and he turned in another with a goal, four ground balls and two caused turnovers while going 4-of-4 on faceoffs against Georgetown. Ratliff came one shy of his career-high with eight ground balls at Michigan.

His career totals now stand at 27 goals and 13 assists, and his 40 career points are second-most among active long-poles to Bryant’s Mason Poli. Last year, he set the school’s single-season long-pole scoring record with 12 goals and seven assists, eclipsing the previous high of 16 points on 11 goals and five assists set in 1995 by current Loyola assistant coach Matt Dwan.

Additionally, Ratliff now stands 10th in school Division I history in career ground balls (193) and second in caused turnovers (82). His caused turnovers are eight shy of tying the school record set in 2008 by P.T. Ricci.

Defensive Midfield Production

Loyola’s defensive midfield had a productive game against Fairfield, finishing the outing with six goals, an assists, six caused turnovers and six ground balls.

This season, long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff has posted 11 goals and three assists, good for fifth on the team with 14 points, while short-stick Pat Laconi has four goals and five points, and fellow short-stick Josh Hawkins has five goals and an assist.

Another Multi-Point Venture For Ward

With two goals and two assists against Fairfield, Justin Ward had his 11th multi-point effort in as many games this season. He has now tallied at least two points in all 11 games this season, and he has three or more in eight of those outings..

In the Georgetown game, he became the 10th player in the program’s Division I history (since 1982) to log 50 or more assists in his career. With 56 career assists, Ward now stands ninth in school Division I history, three shy of Pat Lamon’s 59 in eighth place.

Ward put up his second game with seven or more points on March 16 against Air Force, logging seven with two goals and five assists in the win over the Falcons. His five assists tied his career-high, set twice in 2012 against Towson and Fairfield.

On February 26, against UMBC, as the junior finished with seven goals and three assists for 10 points. His goal and point outputs were career-highs. He became the first player to score at least seven goals in a game since Gavin Prout tallied eight in a 19-11 win at Hobart on April 28, 2001.

Ward’s 10-point effort was the first 10-point game for a Greyhound since Tim Goettelmann tallied the same amount in a 19-9 win on March 25, 2000, against Fairfield. In that game, Goettelmann scored four goals and had six assists. Later that season, he would score seven goals on May 16 in the NCAA First Round against Notre Dame.

Through 10 games this year, Ward leads the team with 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points.

Pontrello Keeps Tallying Points

Nikko Pontrello notched his third hat trick of the season on March 30 at Ohio State, scoring a game-high three against the Buckeyes. He also had three-goal outings against UMBC and Air Force earlier this year.

In his first season as a starter, Pontrello has scored 13 goals while assisting on 14 for 27 points, second most on the team. As a freshman in 2012, he scored four goals and assisted on six.

He posted his second six-point game this season March 16 against Air Force, scoring a career-high four goals to go with two assists. He scored in the first quarter, tallied a pair during Loyola’s 4-0 third-quarter run and added his fourth in the final frame. Earlier this year against UMBC, Pontrello posted three goals and three assists for six points against the Retrievers.

Fletcher Turns Up ‘D’

Joe Fletcher earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on March 18 after picking up three ground balls and causing a turnover against Air Force. More impressive was the defense Fletcher played on Air Force’s offensive quarterback, preseason All-American Keith Dryer.

Dryer entered the game with four goals and a team-leading 10 assists, but Fletcher held him without a point.

This season, Fletcher, who was a Preseason All-America First Team honoree, has 37 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers.

Offensive Addition

Freshman Zach Herreweyers made his first career start on March 16 against Air Force on attack for the Greyhounds, and he made his debut to the opening 10 an impressive one.

Herreweyers scored his first collegiate goal with 12.3 seconds left in the first quarter, and he finished with a hat trick, tallying goals for Loyola in the third and fourth quarters, as well. He also picked up three ground balls.

He followed that game with a four-goal outing Wednesday at Georgetown, a hat trick at Michigan and a goal and an assist at Ohio State.

The freshman from London, Ontario, made his collegiate debut against Duke on March 8. In five games played, he is tied for fourth on the team with 11 goals.

Herreweyers became the first Loyola freshman to score three times in a game since current senior Patrick Fanshaw scored five goals and assisted on another on March 20, 2010, also against Air Force.

Eighth To 100

With his goal at 9:25 in the third quarter against UMBC, Mike Sawyer became the eighth player in Loyola men’s lacrosse history to score 100 in his career, the seventh in the program’s Division I history.

Sawyer joined a list that includes Gary Hanley (151), Pat Lamon (133), Gewas Schindler (120), Tim O’Shea (115), Kevin Beach (114), John Carroll (112) and Chris Colbeck (108).

Layne Keeps Tallying Points

Chris Layne had his fifth multi-point game of the season against Ohio State, recorda goal and two assists. He has scored at least one point in all 10 of the Greyhounds’ games this year.

Through 10 games this season, Layne has scored 12 goals and has eight assists.

Last season, he had a total of five multi-point games while finishing with 11 goals and 14 assists. With his two goals against Delaware, Maryland and UMBC, Layne has more than doubled his multi-goal games during his time at Loyola to five. He also had one as a sophomore in 2010 for North Carolina.

Helmet Stickers

Loyola players are wearing three stickers on their helmets this season to remember those who have passed away. The stickers are in memory of Adam Pomper, a member of the 2012 team who passed away on June 12, 2012, Mandy O’Sullivan, mother of current players Sean and Ryan O’Sullivan who died in March 2012 from pancreatic cancer, and the 26 victims of the Newtown, Conn., shooting in December 2012 where Loyola put on a youth lacrosse clinic in January.

Well-Represented In MLL Draft

Five members of the Loyola men’s lacrosse team were selected in the top 26 of the January 11 Major League Lacrosse draft. The Greyhounds tied Virginia for the most draft picks in the selection process.

Josh Hawkins and Mike Sawyer were both taken in the first round, going fifth and eighth overall to the Hamilton Nationals and Charlotte Hounds, respectively.

Scott Ratliff was the first pick of the second round, going ninth to the Boston Cannons, and Davis Butts was taken early in the third round, 19th overall to the Denver Outlaws. Joining Hawkins in Hamilton will be Reid Acton, the team’s fourth round pick, 26th overall.

Sawyer will be joined in Charlotte by former teammate Eric Lusby who was the top waiver pick after the NCAA season ended in early June. After missing the majority of the MLL season with an injury, the NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Player made his MLL debut on July 28 at Long Island and scored a goal. He then tallied three goals  in an August 11 win over Rochester.

Preseason Accolades

Six Loyola players were named to the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America teams: defender Joe Fletcher and short-stick midfielder Josh Hawkins (first team); attackman Mike Sawyer and long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff (second); midfielder Davis Butts (third); and, defender Reid Acton (honorable mention).

All six earned All-America honors last season with Sawyer earned Second Team honors and Ratliff was named to the Third Team. Acton, Butts, Fletcher and Acton earned Honorable Mention along with graduate student Eric Lusby.

In his first year as a starter, Fletcher was named to the NCAA and ECAC Championships All-Tournament Teams and earned a reputation as one of the top defenders in the nation. In 19 games as a sophomore, Fletcher caused 26 turnovers, second most on the team, and had 41 ground balls.

Hawkins has continued to be one of the top defensive midfielders in the nation and garnered considerable respect nationally for his play during the NCAA Championships. He earned NCAA All-Tournament honors and helped the Greyhounds limit Notre Dame and Maryland to a combined eight goals on Championships weekend. In addition to his six goals and two assists in 15 games last year, Hawkins was second on the team with 63 ground balls.

Sawyer was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top player last season when he scored 52 goals and assisted on 10 more and was named the team’s Offensive Most Valuable Player. During the regular-season, he led the ECAC in goals and goals per game while earning All-ECAC First Team honors. He became the second player to score 50 or more goals in a season and was joined by a third on last year’s team.

Ratliff continued to be one of the top long-stick midfielders in the nation and set a Loyola scoring record for the position last year. He finished with 12 goals and seven assists, exceeding current Loyola Assistant Coach Matt Dwan’s previous record for a long-stick midfielder set in 1995. In addition to his scoring, he tallied 88 ground balls and 37 caused turnovers while earning ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, ECAC Championships Most Valuable Player, NCAA All-Tournament Team and team co-defenisve player of the year honors.

Butts was a first-line midfielder for the Greyhounds for the second year in a row. He excelled as a dodger and finisher and ranked fourth on the team in points (35) and third in goals scored (21). A versatile player, Butts also saw plenty of action on the wings of faceoffs and in the defensive midfield where he picked up 40 ground balls.

Acton will enter 2013 having started on the Greyhounds’ defense each of the last three years. He finished the 2012 season with 44 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers, while helping Loyola record a 7.21 goals allowed per game average, the fifth-best mark in Division I. The Greyhounds set a pair of defensive records during Championship Weekend, holding Notre Dame and Maryland to a combined eight goals in the two games and allowing the Terrapins just three in the title match.

Toomey Receives Morris Touchstone Award

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career, and in December, he received the coaches association’s Morris Touchstone Award as the national coach of the year.

The Greyhounds became the second team in USILA Coaches Poll history to start a season unranked and ascend to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The only other team was Duke in 2007 – a year after the Blue Devils had their season suspended in March – which accomplished the feat after being unranked in the first poll, moving to second in the next version and first in the third. Duke was knocked from its perch as No. 1 that season when it lost to the Greyhounds at the First Four in San Diego.

The win over Georgetown this was the 70th victory of his coaching career, becoming the second coach in Loyola history to win 70 or more, joining – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001).

Big Runs

Last season, runs of three-plus goals were critical in the Greyhounds success, as they had runs of 3-0 or better in all 19 games. In all, Loyola scored three or more in a row on 37 occasions last year.

The Greyhounds have opened the 2013 season in similar fashion as they scored three-straight in the second quarter to take a 4-2 lead against Delaware after trailing, 2-1. They then had two runs of 3-0 or better at Towson.

Against UMBC, Loyola had a 3-0 first-half run before putting together a 10-0 stretch in the third and fourth quarters. The Greyhounds then had a 4-0 run that spanned both halves to help beat Bellarmine, and they runs of 3-0 and 4-0 to beat Air Force.

In the Georgetown game, Loyola had its longest run of the year, scoring eight straight.

At Ohio State, the Greyhounds went on a 6-0 run that spanned the final three quarters to take control of the game. A 5-0 first-quarter run spurred the win over Fairfield.

Second-Half Success

Last season, the Greyhounds outscored opponents 66-22 in the third quarters of games, and 123-63 overall in the second half (including overtime). The second-half scoring continued a trend from 2011 when Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56.

This year, Loyola is outscoring opponents 43-20 in the third quarter and 64-45 overall after halftime.

Loyola To Hold Friday Press Conference To Announce Men’s Basketball Coach

BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland will hold a press conference on Friday, April 12, 2013, to announce the Greyhounds’ new head men’s basketball coach.

The event, which is open to the public, will be held in Reitz Arena beginning at 2:30 p.m. It will also be streamed live through Hounds Unleashed, the broadcast arm of LoyolaGreyhounds.com. Fans can watch the announcement live at http://loyo.la/MBB-coach-0412.

Etherly Named Alternate For Portsmouth Invitational

BALTIMORE – Just two weeks after concluding his collegiate career at Loyola University Maryland, forward Erik Etherly has been selected as an alternate at the 2013 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

Known as The “PIT”, the event is the only postseason camp that is open to college seniors only. It is used by NBA and European scouts as a proving ground for future professional players.

As an alternate, Etherly will attend The PIT but is not yet guaranteed a spot on a team.
Etherly was a two-time All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference First Team member, earning the honors in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 as Loyola won a combined 47 games and advanced to the postseason in consecutive season for the first time in the program’s Division I history.

This season, Etherly averaged 15.7 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds per game in 30 contests, helping the Greyhounds to a 23-12 record and berth in the CollegeInsider.com  Postseason Tournament.

He earned National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District I Second Team honors for the second year in a row, the first Loyola player to do so.

Etherly earned his bachelor of arts degree in communications in December 2012 and then scored his 1,000^th career point weeks later in a January game at Fairfield. Over the final seven games of the regular-season, he had five games with 22 or more points, including three in a row with 23-plus.

The native of Alexandria, Va., finished his three years at Loyola – he transferred to the Baltimore school in 2009 after playing his freshman season at Northeastern University – with 1,245 points, 669 rebounds, 140 assists, 121 steals and 114 blocked shots.

Loyola won 62 games in the three years he was on the court, and Etherly leaves the school as the No. 20 scorer in program history. He also finished 10^th in both rebounds and steals and fourth in blocked shots.

This 2013 PIT will take place April 10-13 at Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Va.

Loyola Men’s Lacrosse To Host Newtown (Conn.) Youth Lacrosse Players

BALTIMORE – The Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse program will host nearly 50 players and family members from Newtown (Conn.) Youth Lacrosse on Saturday, April 13, when the Greyhounds host the University of Denver in their regular-season home finale at 1 p.m. at the Ridley Athletic Complex.

On January 3, Loyola freshman long-stick midfielder Jason Crane led a group of 14 Loyola men’s lacrosse players to the Connecticut town that was touched by tragedy just one month prior when a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School killed 26 people.

Loyola players put on a youth lacrosse clinic in Newtown that was attended by over 100 young players. The team has stayed in communication with those players, and many will be making the trip with their families to Baltimore for Saturday’s game.

The players and families from Newtown will receive a tour of the Ridley Athletic Complex and be on the field with the teams prior to faceoff Saturday. After the game they will get to participate in a “throw-around” with Loyola players on the field and attend a postgame reception with Loyola players and their families. In addition to the game-day experience, Visit Baltimore!, the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, Under Armour and other local businesses have come together to provide the group with several exciting activities while they are in town.

Tickets to Saturday’s game, which will feature two ECAC Lacrosse League teams ranked in the top-five nationally, are available at www.loyolagreyhounds.com/tickets.

Hawkins, Ratliff Garner ECAC Weekly Honors

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland defensive midfielders Josh Hawkins and Scott Ratliff were named the ECAC Lacrosse League’s Specialist and Co-Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, on Monday, the conference office announced.

The duo combined for six goals, five caused turnovers and five ground balls on Saturday, while helping the Greyhounds’ defense hold Fairfield University to just seven goals in a 13-7 league win that clinched a spot in the upcoming ECAC Championships.

Ratliff, who earned the defensive honor for the second time this season and fourth time in his career, set a new offensive standard for long-stick players, scoring four goals against the Stags. It is believed he is the first player in the modern era of college lacrosse to score four goals in a game with a pole.

The senior long-stick midfielder also was highly disruptive on the defensive end, causing four turnovers while picking up three groundballs.

His first goal came after Brendan Donovan won a faceoff and got a pass to Ratliff who ran into the box and hit a stepdown shot from 12 yards out. He then scored again in the first quarter, this time in settled offense. Ratliff set a screen for Nikko Pontrello and then rolled to the right side of the crease where Pontrello hit him with a pass for a one-on-one opportunity with the Fairfield goalie.

Minutes later, he tallied a second-quarter goal off a set piece, flicking in a Justin Ward pass for his third goal of the game. His final goal of the game came in the first three minutes of the third quarter, as he and short-stick midfielder Pat Laconi played give-and-go in transition, and Ratliff nailed a shot, keeping his shot percentage at 1.000 for the day, scoring four goals on four attempts.

Hawkins also was perfect on both of his shot attempts against Fairfield. The short-stick midfielder scored his first of the game after running a slow clear before ripping a shot from seven yards out to put Loyola up 9-4 with 56 seconds left before halftime.

He added to his tally with a goal late in the third quarter. After Ratliff caused a turnover, Hawkins brought the ball into the offensive box, and he used a fake pass to draw space on the top left side before dodging down the alley and finishing with a hard overhand shot with 18 seconds left in the frame.

This season, Ratliff has scored 11 goals while assisting on three, and he has 27 goals and 13 assists in 53 career games. He also moved within eight caused turnovers of tying former Loyola All-American P.T. Ricci for the school record (90).

Hawkins, who has played in just four games this year, has scored five goals and has an assist. In 44 career games, he has tallied 20 goals and eight assists.

The duo and the Greyhounds (9-2 overall, 5-0 ECAC) are back in action on Saturday, April 13, at 1 p.m. from Ridley Athletic Complex where they will host the University of Denver.