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.

Defensive Midfield Scores Six In 13-7 Win Over Fairfield

BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland defensive midfielders Scott Ratliff and Josh Hawkins combined to score six goals on as many shots, and Pat Laconi added an assist, as the Greyhounds’ defensive midfield was in on almost half of their goals during a 13-7 victory Saturday afternoon over visiting Fairfield University in ECAC Lacrosse League action at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Ratliff, a long-stick midfielder, scored four, and Hawkins added two for Loyola (9-2 overall, 5-0 ECAC), which clinched a bid to the 2013 ECAC Championships that will be played May 2-4 at Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y. Ratliff also had four caused turnovers and three ground balls, and Hawkins tallied a pair off the ground and caused one Stags turnover.

Fairfield (6-5, 3-2) took an early 1-0 lead as Marshall Johnson scored on a seven-yard shot from the top at 10:32 in the first quarter, but less than two minutes later, an extra-man goal by Loyola would start a 5-0 Greyhounds run.

A Stags push gave Loyola a man advanatage, and Harry Kutner fed Kevin Ryan who hit an over-the-shoulder shot from just in front of the crease to tie the game at 1-1 with 8:44 on the first-quarter clock.

Ratliff then picked up the ground ball on the next faceoff, and he struck with a 12-yard shot from the top of the box to give Loyola its first lead, 2-1, just nine second after Ryan’s goal.

Chris Layne scored the Greyhounds’ third goal, taking a flip from Davis Butts and running left-to-right past his defender to score at 6:27. Justin Ward then scored his first of two-straight at 3:11 with a sidearm shot from just outside the crease.

Ward added another 59 seconds later, converting a bounce shot from a tough angle on the left side after rolling from ‘X’. That goal pushed the Greyhounds’ advantage to 5-1.

Drew Frederick came off a check on the right side and scored on a low-to-low shot with 40 seconds left in the first quarter, but the Greyhounds still had enough time to score one more before the end of the first 15 minutes.

Nikko Pontrello came off a Ratliff screen, and Ratliff rolled to the right side of the crease where Pontrello hit him with 23 ticks showing for Ratliff’s second of the quarter.

Sean O’Sullivan gave Loyola a 7-2 lead at 12:09 in the second quarter when he got free down the right alley, but Fairfield got back within four at 9:40 on a Eric Warden bouncer after rolling the crease on the left side.

Ratliff quickly built the lead back to five for Loyola, flicking a shot into the net off a Ward feed at 9:12.

Later in the quarter, with a 30-second warning in place, Sam Snow came down the right side and hit an overhand bouncer at 3:46, cutting Loyola’s lead to 8-4.

Hawkins, however, pushed the lead back to five before halftime, running a slow clear and backing off a check for a hard shot from seven yards out with 56 seconds remaining before the break.

Jordan Greenfield pulled the Stags back to within four, 9-5, 1:22 into the second half with a low-to-low shot from the right side off a Snow pass, but Ratliff to a Laconi pass in transition and hit a 10-yard step-down shot at 12:44.

Mike Sawyer used a Ward pass at 10:53 to score his first of the game before Warden scored his second with a goal for Fairfield at 10:18.

The score remained 11-6 in Loyola’s favor for several minutes before Sawyer scored in highlight-reel fashion. He was knocked to the turf, and a penalty flag flew on Fairfield, but Sawyer got off a hard shot from the ground and scored at 1:29 to push the lead to six.

Ratliff then caused a Fairfield turnover with under 45 seconds left in the quarter, and Hawkins appeared to settle the play before faking a pass and running down the left alley to score with 18 seconds left in the third.

Fairfield scored the fourth quarter’s lone goal with 1:56 left in the game on a Tristan Sperry shot.

In addition to the multi-point efforts by the defensive midfielders, Ward finished with two goals and two assists, and Sawyer scored twice.

Joe Fletcher matched Ratliff and goalkeeper Jack Runkel for team-high honors with three assists, and defenders Pat Frazier and Reid Acton each caused two turnovers.

The Greyhounds play their final regular-season home game of the season on Saturday, April 13, at 1 o’clock against the University of Denver.

Defense Yields Just Four Goals In Men’s Lacrosse Win At Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Loyola University Maryland’s defense allowed just 23 Ohio State University shots, and the Greyhounds shutout the Buckeyes for a stretch of nearly 33 minutes during a 9-4 ECAC Lacrosse League victory on Saturday afternoon at Jesse Owens Memorial Field.

Jack Runkel made nine saves in goal for the Greyhounds (8-2 overall, 4-0 ECAC), while Loyola forced 16 Ohio State (6-3, 1-2) turnovers.

The Greyhounds also held Ohio State without an extra-man goal despite five opportunities in the game. Entering the contest, the Buckeyes was tops in the ECAC and fifth in NCAA Division I with a 53.8-percent success rate on man-up chances.

David Planning rolled off a check and scored on a shot at the top right for Ohio State with 3:03 left in the first half, tying the score at 3-3, but that was the last goal the Buckeyes would score until just nine seconds remained in the game.

The Loyola defense held Ohio State without a goal for 32:54 between scores. Meanwhile, the Greyhounds’ offense and transition game reeled off six unanswered goals.

Chris Layne put Loyola on top with 1:54 to go before halftime with his first goal a goal off a Justin Ward assist. Ward used a quick restart from behind the cage after a wide Loyola shot and found Layne running down the right side after checking in from the box. Layne one-timed a shot past Ohio State goalkeeper Greg Dutton who had 14 saves in the loss.

Just 70 seconds later, Layne shot a pass to Zach Herreweyers below goal-line extended on the right, and Herreweyers rolled to the crease, using a low-to-low shot to score.

Nikko Pontrello, who had a game-high three goals, made it three goals for Loyola in just 1:41 of action with a goal after a toe-drag move. Davis Butts reversed the ball from the top of the box to Layne who then got the ball to Pontrello who used the toe-drag to beat his defender and score 13 seconds before halftime, staking the Greyhounds to a 6-3 halftime advantage.

Pontrello scored his second-straight with 8:31 on the third-quarter clock, scoring from close on the right side after a feed by Herreweyers.

A Runkel save and ground ball pickup led to the Greyhounds’ eighth goal just before the end of the third period. Loyola cleared the ball to its offensive end, and when it looked like it would allow time to run out in the quarter, Layne sent a 20-yard pass from the high right side to Scott Ratliff on the left side of the crease.

Ratliff used a multiple shot-fake and beat Dutton with four seconds left in the quarter, pushing the advantage to 8-3 for the Greyhounds.

Ohio State committed a faceoff violation on the opening faceoff of the fourth quarter, and Josh Hawkins took a Ratliff pass and raced down the right side, scoring with an overhand shot form five yards out 13 seconds into the final period.

From there, the Greyhounds’ defense took the leading role, as they gave up just four shots in the final 15 minutes, and Ohio State committed four turnovers during the same span.

Nick Liddil scored the game’s final goal, off a Planning assist, with nine ticks left on the clock, snapping the 32:54 scoreless streak.

Joe Fletcher led Loyola’s defense with five ground balls, while Runkel had three in addition to his nine saves.

Brendan Donovan went 6-of-8 on faceoffs for Loyola, picking up three ground balls. Pat Laconi caused two of the six turnovers Loyola was credited with.

Ohio State’s Logan Schuss, who entered the game leading the Buckeyes with 20 goals, scored the game’s first just 55 seconds after the opening faceoff.

Loyola responded with its first at 10:27 when Sean O’Sullivan flipped a pass to Butts who whipped a 10-yard sidearm shot for a goal.

Pontrello then gave Loyola its first lead at 4:36, ripping a 12-yard shot from the top right after a long feed from Ward near the crease.

Ohio State tied the game 1:21 into the second quarter when Jesse King dodged from the top and fed a pass inside for a goal by Carter Brown with a 30-second warning in play.

Mike Sawyer gave Loyola the lead back at 6:11 after Ward threw a skip pass to the right side out of a double-team.

Loyola outshot Ohio State, 41-23, in the game while picking up 29 ground balls to the Buckeyes’ 20.

The Greyhounds return to Ridley Athletic Complex for the first time since early March for an ECAC game on Saturday, April 6, against Fairfield University. The game against Fairfield starts at 2:30 p.m. following the Loyola women’s game against Georgetown University that commences at 12 noon.

Defense Keys Offense In 13-8 Men’s Lacrosse Win Over Georgetown

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Loyola University Maryland caused 17 Georgetown University turnovers, and six of the Greyhounds’ goals came as a direct result of transition or unsettled situations in a 13-8 victory over the Hoyas on Wednesday night at Multi-Sport Field.

The Hoyas (3-4 overall) scored the game’s first goal with a 12-yard shot by Charles McCormick, but the Georgetown lead would be short lived.

Three minutes after McCormick’s goal at 13;07, Loyola (6-2) tallied its first goal, triggered by a Jack Runkel save. Pat Laconi ran the clear and sent a pass to Scott Ratliff who dodged a defender and scored from seven yards to tie the game at 1-1.

Chris Layne gave the Greyhounds the lead, which they would hold for the rest of the game, dodging down the left alley to score at 9:26.

Ratliff and Layne’s goals were the first two of an 8-0 Loyola run that would stretch into the second half, as the Greyhounds held Georgetown scoreless for a stretch of more than 32 minutes.

Another Runkel save led to the next Loyola goal. The Loyola goalkeeper sent an over-the-top pass to Ratliff who sent it behind the cage to Nikko Pontrello. Pontrello then found Phil Dobson for a nine-yard stepdown shot, and Loyola was up, 3-1, with 6:01 to play in the first quarter.

Zach Herreweyers scored the first of his four goals midway through the second quarter, stepping back after spinning past a defender for a shot off a Pontrello pass, and Harry Kutner tallied an extra-man goal at 4:30 following a Justin Ward skip pass at 4:30.

Laconi caused a turnover less than a minute later, and Ratliff came up with the ball before switching fields with a pass to Laconi who cleared it into the box. He played give-and-go with Ward, and Laconi scored Loyola’s sixth goal at 3:46.

With just over 30 seconds to play before halftime, Reid Acton caused a turnover, and a quick clear led to a Josh Hawkins goal off a Laconi assist 5.7 seconds before the break.

Loyola extended its lead to 8-1 2:02 into the third quarter when Herreweyers ran past his defender down the right alley and scored on a short jump shot.

Georgetown finally stopped the run with back-to-back goals by Travis Comeau and Reilly O’Connor at 11:00 and 10:16.

Herreweyers tallied his third of the game 16 seconds after O’Connor’s score by rolling off a check and firing an in-close sidearm shot.

Matt Sawyer then added to the lead, making the Loyola advantage 10-3, with an extra-man goal at 8:41 with a shot from within a yard after Ward fed a pass from the top.

O’Connor scored his second of the game at 7:37, slipping a shot inside the near post, but Kutner scored his second of the game at 5:20 by beating his defender down the right alley to make it 11-4 Greyhounds.

Just 10 seconds later, Loyola went up by eight when Ratliff won the ensuing faceoff. Hawkins grabbed the ground ball and got the ball to Ward. He fed Herreweyers who used a multiple shot-fake to score his career-high fourth goal.

Georgetown scored two in a row before Ward tallied the Greyhounds’ final goal after a Ratliff caused turnover and a Hawkins clear and assist.

Hawkins, Laconi and Fletcher each had three of the Greyhounds’ 17 caused turnovers, while Ratliff and Acton each tallied two.

Fletcher led Loyola with six ground balls; Hawkins and Ratliff both posted four.

Ward finished with a goal and four assists to lead the Greyhounds with five points, while Pontrello had a goal and two assists. Herreweyers tallied four goals, and Kutner had two, while Hawkins and Laconi each had a goal and an assist in transition.

Loyola steps back in to ECAC Lacrosse League action on Saturday, March 23, for its next game, a 3 p.m. game at the Unviersity of Michigan.

Fourth-Quarter Run Pushes Duke Past Men’s Lacrosse

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University scored five fourth-quarter goals to build a two goals lead late and hold off the fourth-ranked Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse team for a 9-8 non-conference win on Friday night at Koskinen Stadium.

The Blue Devils (3-4 overall) scored twice in the first three minutes of the final period to take their first lead since the second quarter.

Jordan Wolf backstopped a wide Duke shot, picking up the groundball off the bounce behind the crease, and he fed a crashing Case Matheis who scored his second goal of the game at 13:59 to tie the score at 5-5.

Just over 90 seconds later, Jake Tripucka was running toward the back of the crease when he slipped a cross-crease pass to Josh Offit on the wide left side, and Offitt stuck an eight-yard shot inside the far post at 12:26 to put the Blue Devils in front, 6-5.

Loyola (4-2) went on extra man minutes later, and Justin Ward shot a pass to Sean O’Sullivan on the left side of the crease, and O’Sullivan finished from the doorstep at 10:36 to tie the score at 6-6.

Duke, however, responded with two goals inside of a minute to build an 8-6 lead.

Offitt took advantage of a slip by a Greyhounds’ defender to score from close range on the left side with 9:40 remaining, and Christian Walsh stepped back off a dodge and shot low to score 55 ticks of the clock later.

Loyola got a goal back in transition nearly four minutes later when Pat Laconi caused a turnover and Scott Ratliff picked up the ground ball. Ratliff passed it to Joe Fletcher to sent an over-the-top pass to a streaking Laconi who scored on a nine-yard shot to pull Loyola within a goal at 5:03.

Duke, however, extended its lead back to two at 3:45 when Tripucka sent a pass from behind to Wolf who was cutting down the middle for a goal.

The Greyhounds rallied to make it a one-goal deficit with 1:13 on the clock when Nikko Pontrello found Ward cutting toward the crease, and Ward scored his second of the game.

The Blue Devils won the ensuing faceoff, but Loyola forced a turnover, and called timeout after clearing the ball into its offensive end with 33 seconds left. The Greyhounds, however, could not get off a shot before the final whistle.

Duke took an early 3-0 lead, tallying a trio of goals by Josh Dionne, Matheis and Wolf in the game’s first 6:43.

Ratliff would put Loyola on the board after causing a turnover, clearing the ball himself and scoring with 2:40 left in the first quarter.

Mike Sawyer then got the Greyhounds back within a goal with 22 seconds left before the end of the first quarter as he dodged from the top left and shot from inside three yards.

Loyola continued its run at the start of the second quarter as Ward rolled back toward the cage after dodging and scored 91 seconds in to the frame. Chris Layne then gave the Greyhounds their first lead of the game 5:46 before halftime, dodging from right to left at the top and shooting from six yards out.

The Greyhounds held a 4-3 margin at the break, but Duke won the second half’s first faceoff and scored 45 seconds in when Dionne one-timed a shot off a Wolf feed from behind.

Loyola regained the lead, 5-4, with 7:28 left in the third quarter when Phil Dobson dodged from the top and shot while falling from inside five yards.

Duke finished with a 33-27 advantage in shots, but Loyola picked up 35 ground balls to the Blue Devils’ 25.

Ratliff picked up a game-high seven, and Fletcher pulled up five. Blake Burkhart had four and won 11-of-18 faceoffs in the game. Ward led the Greyhounds offensively with two goals and an assist.

The Greyhounds return to action on Saturday, March 16, in Denver where they will face the Air Force Academy in the Whitman’s Sampler Mile High Classic.

Ward’s 7 Goals, 10 Points Lead Men’s Lacrosse Over UMBC

BALTIMORE – Justin Ward did not let driving rain and wind gusts of 40 miles per hour both his game on Tuesday night as the junior scored seven goals and had three assists in Loyola University Maryland’s 21-9 victory over visiting UMBC at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Ward’s seven goals are the most by a Loyola player since Tim Goettelmann tallied that number against the University of Notre Dame in an NCAA First Round game that the Greyhounds lost, 15-13, on May 15, 2000.

He scored four in the third quarter, leading a 10-0 Loyola run that helped the Greyhounds (3-1 overall) extend an 8-6 halftime advantage to what would be a 12-goal margin of victory.

UMBC (1-2) led 4-3 after the first period, and although Ward tied the game at 5-5 with a goal 55 seconds into the second, Conor Finch gave the Retrievers a 5-4 lead 2:02 into the frame with an unassisted goal.

Ward responded quickly for Loyola, scoring an unassisted tally 33 seconds later, and Loyola took the lead for good at 9:56 when Nikko Pontrello fed Pat Laconi in transition for a goal.

Pontrello recorded career-highs in goals (3), assists (3) and points (3) in the game, as well, while Laconi scored a goal and had an assist. He also caused a career-high four turnovers and picked up three ground balls.

Only 45 seconds after Laconi’s goal, Pontrello was on the scoring end of a Ward pass to push the Loyola advantage to 7-5.

Pat Young scored unassisted for UMBC, and the Retrievers were back within one, 7-6, with 4:12 to play in the half. Chris Layne used a Davis Butts pass and scored form 10 yards out with 3:32 on the clock, providing the 8-6 halftime score.

Ward rolled form ‘X’ to score 1:16 into the second half, pushing the Loyola lead to 9-6, at that time its largest of the game. UMBC, however, rallied to cut its deficit back to two 1:03 later on a Dave Brown goal.

Sean O’Sullivan scored from the left side at 10:57, igniting a 10-0 Loyola run that would stretch into the fourth quarter.

Pontrello tallied an unassisted goal at 9:33, and eight seconds later Mike Sawyer took a Butts pass after Butts picked up the ground ball on a Brendan Donovan faceoff win. Sawyer scored to make the lead 12-7.

A Butts bounce shot from 12 yards out made it 13-7 Loyola at 7:51, and then Ward reeled off three in a row, the final coming at 2:47 with the Greyhounds facing a 30-second warning.

Layne registered his third multi-goal game of the year with 36 ticks left in the quarter with the Greyhounds a man down, and Harry Kutner tallied his first goal as a Greyhound on an extra-man opportunity 30 seconds into the fourth.

Pontrello added his third of the game at 12:57 to complete the 10-0 run.

Pat Young broke through for UMBC at 11:06, and Sawyer and Scott Ratliff tacked on late goals for the Greyhounds.

The 21 goals are the most by a Loyola team since the Greyhounds defeated Villanova University, 21-7, on the road on April 26, 2000.

Donovan won 19-of-31 faceoffs for Loyola, and the Greyhounds were successful on 20-of-33 in total.

Ratliff scooped up eight ground balls, and Joe Fletcher had seven, helping Loyola to a 49-30 advantage off the ground. Ratliff also set a career-high with five caused turnovers.

Seven Loyola players had multi-point games: Ward (7g, 3a), Pontrello (3g, 3a), Sawyer (3g, 1a), Layne (2g, 1a), Butts (1g, 2a) and Laconi (1g, 1a).

Jack Runkel made seven saves in goal for Loyola, and Jimmy Joe Granito played the final 8:22, tallying two saves.

Loyola continues its busy start to the season with its fifth game in 15 days when it hosts Bellarmine University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland plays its fourth game in 11 days to start the 2013 season on Tuesday, February 26, when it hosts UMBC at 7 o’clock at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Series History

UMBC and Loyola will meet for the 31st time in series history when the teams take the field on Tuesday with the Retrievers holding a 16-14 advantage in the previous 30 contests.

Last year, the teams will played for the first time during the regular-season since 2005.

Last season, Mike Sawyer scored four-straight goals during a 10-1 Loyola run that led to a 13-5 Greyhounds’ victory at UMBC on a rainy March night. Sawyer finished with five goals and two assists, and Jack Runkel posted a then-career-high 13 saves for Loyola. Six Loyola players had multi-point nights, led by Sawyer’s seven. Justin Ward, J.P. Dalton and Eric Lusby each had three points, while Phil Dobson and Davis Butts each had two.

In The Polls

Loyola sits at No. 4 in both the USILA Coaches and Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media polls.

Entering the season, It was the first time in the polls’ existences that the Greyhounds have been ranked No. 1 to start the year.

Last Time Out

Loyola scored the first goals of the first and third quarters last Saturday, but Maryland launched into 5-0 and 3-0 runs in those respective quarters thereafter, and the No. 1/2 Terrapins finished with a 12-10 victory over the Greyhounds.

Mike Sawyer opened the game with a 12-yard rip at 10:02, but Maryland reeled off five in a row, taking a 5-1 lead with three seconds left in the third quarter on a Landon Carr transition goal.

The teams traded second-quarter goals and Maryland led 7-3 at halftime before Pat Laconi scored for Loyola 27 seconds into the third quarter.

This time, the Terrapins netted three goals in a row to lead 10-4 on a Kevin Cooper goal with 10:57 on the clock. Loyola would score four of the next five to get within three, 11-8, on Matt Sawyer’s goal with 2:53 left in the third.

Neither Loyola, nor Maryland, would score for nearly 15 minutes before Billy Gribbin broke through for the Terrapins with 3:08 left in regulation. Sean O’Sullivan and Chris Layne would add two more for Loyola, but the Greyhounds could not get closer.

Layne Keeps Tallying Points

Chris Layne had his third multi-point game in as many contests this season, recording two goals and an assist for the Greyhounds against Maryland. Last season, he had a total of five multi-point games while finishing with 11 goals and 14 assists.

With his two goals against both Delaware and Maryland, Layne has also doubled his multi-goal games during his time at Loyola. He also had one as a sophomore in 2010 for North Carolina.

Through three games this year, Layne is tied for second on the team with five goals, is second in both assists (four) and points (nine).

At Delaware in the season-opener, Layne tallied the first and last goals of the game for the Greyhounds, the initial coming at 12:17 in the first quarter, and the second with 4.4 seconds left in the fourth. He also assisted on a Scott Ratliff transition goal just over five minutes into the third quarter.

Spreading The Scoring

Nine Loyola players scored goals on Wednesday night at Towson with seven recording two or more points, and nine was also the number of scorers on Saturday versus Maryland.

Against Towson, Mike Sawyer and Justin Ward led the way with four points, Chris Layne and Kevin Ryan tallied three, while Nikko Pontrello, Sean O’Sullivan and Brian Schultz each recorded two.

The seven multi-point scorers were a step-up from the four (Layne, Sawyer, Ward and Davis Butts) who had two or more at Delaware.

Last season, Loyola had just two games with seven players scoring two or more points (Michigan, Air Force).

Ward Remains High Point Scorer

Justin Ward scored a goal and had an assist against Maryland and remains the Greyhounds’ 2013 point leader with 12. The junior attackman had a goal and three assists against Towson after opening with three goals and two assists to tie his career-high with five points at Delaware.

Ward finished third on the team last season in points (43) while leading the Greyhounds with 31 assists, the fourth-most in Loyola’s single-season Division I history.

With his assists at Maryland, he moved into 22nd in school Division I assist history with 38. With three more, he’ll move into a tie for 20th.

Sawyer’s Hat Trick

With more than five minutes remaining in the first half, at Towson Mike Sawyer had recorded his first hat trick of the 2013 season and 18th of his career. He is now third among active players with career hat tricks, trailing only Colgate’s Peter Baum (28) and Army’s Garrett Thul (25).

Sawyer had not scored more than one goal in a game during Loyola’s last four outings, including the NCAA Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championship Game, as well as Loyola’s season-opener at Delaware. His last hat trick came on May 12, 2012, in the NCAA First Round when he scored four in the second half for a total of five against Canisius.

Last season, he recorded 11 hat tricks, including a stretch of five in a row from March 7-24.

Burkhart Breaks In

Blake Burkhart made his Loyola debut at the faceoff X against Towson, taking all 28 restarts and winning a career-high 17-of-28 (60.7-perecnt).

He also had a game-high eight ground balls while winning the first four of the game, 6-of-8 during the second quarter and 5-of-8 during the fourth.

Burkhart then was successful on 14-of-25 against Maryland.

Burkhart played his freshman season at Rutgers University where he was 54-of-100 at the ‘X’ in 2012 before transferring to Loyola.

Better Off The Ground

Winning the ground ball battle was a point of emphasis for Loyola entering the Towson game, and the Greyhounds were successful. They picked up 40 to the Tigers’ 30, thanks in large part to a 17-11 advantage in faceoffs.

In the season-opener against Delaware, the Blue Hens grabbed 36, and Loyola had 34.

Loyola was 10th in the NCAA last season with an average of 32.79 per game. The Greyhounds were 13-0 last year when picking up more than their opponents.

EMO Success

Loyola converted on 4-of-5 extra-man opportunities against Towson after going 0-of-2 against Delaware.

Kevin Ryan scored twice on man-up opportunities, recording the first multi-goal or point game of his career. He later added an assist on a Mike Sawyer goal in an even situation.

Another EMO attackman Brian Schultz had a goal and an assist in man-up situations, and Justin Ward scored one late.

Acton Active On Defense

Reid Acton tied his career-high on Saturday with five caused turnovers to lead all players. He also picked up five ground balls, one shy of Scott Ratliff’s team-best six. He was part of a unit that held Delaware’s starting attack to just three goals in the game. Acton also caused five turnovers last season against Ohio State.

Between The Pipes

Loyola goalkeeper Jack Runkel made 10 of his 11 saves during the second half against Delaware, marking the eight time in his career that he has posted 10 or more saves in goal. The last time came when Runkel set a career-high in the NCAA Semifinals with 15 saves against Notre Dame, setting a career-high. He narrowly eclipsed his previous best of 14 set on April 28 against Johns Hopkins. Runkel followed his performance in the Semifinal with a six-save, three-goals allowed performance in the title game against Maryland. He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for his efforts.

Runkel played to a 5.22 goals against average and .700 saves percentage in four NCAA Tournament games.

A Lot Of Everything

The adage that a player does a little bit of everything does not necessarily apply to long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff. The Loyola senior does a lot, as he led the team last year  in ground balls (88) and caused turnovers (37), was fifth in goals (12) and seventh in assists (7). His 37 caused turnovers were second-most in Loyola history – behind P.T. Ricci’s 51 in 2009 – since the stats became official that year.

A Tewaaraton Award semifinalist, Ratliff was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECAC Championships after scoring three goals, one a game-winner, and recording two assists and 16 ground balls.

He had two goals, including the winner just eight seconds into overtime, and an assist versus Denver while picking up a career-high nine ground balls.

Ratliff, who was also an USILA All-America Third Team member, an All-ECAC First Team honoree and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year.

He tallied a goal and six ground balls in the 2013 season-opener against Delaware, bringing his career scoring totals to 17 goals and 10 assists. He is currently second among active long-poles in scoring behind Bryant’s Mason Poli who has 32 goals and 10 assists.

With his game-opening goal against Canisius in the NCAA First Round, he set the Loyola single-season record for long-pole scoring, surpassing the record of 16 points set by current assistant coach Matt Dwan his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists and earned All-America honors.

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.

Welcome To The Staff

Two new faces join Head Coach Charley Toomey and Assistant Coaches Matt Dwan and Steve Vaikness on the Greyhounds’ coaching staff for 2013. David Metzbower, a 1986 Delaware graduate and former Blue Hens assistant coach, came on board in November as the Greyhounds’ offensive coordinator, replacing Dan Chemotti who left to become the head coach at the University of Richmond. Loyola alum Steve Layne ’10 was brought on in September as the program’s Director of Lacrosse Operations.

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.

Newtown Youth Clinic

Fourteen members of the Loyola men’s lacrosse team took time from their holiday vacation to travel to Newtown, Conn., for a clinic with the Newtown Lacrosse Association.

Led by freshman Jason Crane, the Greyhounds worked with more than 100 elementary and junior-high school-age players, many of whom attended Sandy Hook Elementary School where the shooting that killed 26 took place in December.

Returning From 2012

Head Coach Charley Toomey returns eight starters and 34 letterwinners from the 2012 Loyola team that won the NCAA Championship.

Back among the starters are attackmen Mike Sawyer and Justin Ward, first-line midfielders Davis Butts, Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan, defenders Reid Acton and Joe Fletcher and goalkeeper Jack Runkel.

The Greyhounds also return their top long-stick midfielder, Scott Ratliff, and their top three short-stick midfielders, Kyle Duffy, Josh Hawkins and Pat Laconi. A pair of second-line midfielders, Phil Dobson and Nikko Pontrello, also return.

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 Canisius in the First Round was the 60th victory of his coaching career, becoming the fourth coach in Loyola history to win 60 or more – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001), Charles Wenzel (62-104, 1954-1970), Jay Connor (61-46, 1975-1982).  Toomey’s .640 winning percentage trails only Cottle’s .721 at Loyola.

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.

The game against Maryland marked the first time since May 5, 2011, against Fairfield that the Greyhounds did not put up a run of 3-0 or better.

Up Next

Loyola hosts its third home game in an eight day span on Saturday, March 2, when it takes on Bellarmine at 1 p.m. in its ECAC Lacrosse League opener.