Maryland’s Alex Len and NC State’s Rodney Purvis earn weekly ACC basketball honors

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Maryland sophomore Alex Len has been named the ACC Player of the Week and NC State’s Rodney Purvis has been selected the conference’s Rookie of the Week following their performances this past weekend.

Len came up big for the Terrapins in a 72-69 loss to No. 3 Kentucky on Friday night at the Barclays Arena in Brooklyn, N.Y. The 7-foot-1 center established career highs with 23 points and 12 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end.  The Antratsit, Ukraine, sophomore hit on 10-of-18 from the floor in 32 minutes and also had four blocks, which matched a career high.

In his first collegiate game, Purvis tied for the team scoring lead with 16 points and was one of six Wolfpack players in double figures as sixth-ranked NC State opened its season Friday with a 97-59 win over visiting Miami (Ohio). The Raleigh, N.C., native also pulled down two rebounds, handed out one assist and hit on 6-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc.

ACC

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland travels to nearby Annapolis, Md., and Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium for the NCAA Quarterfinals on Saturday, May 19, 2012.

The top-seeded Greyhounds will face fellow ECAC Lacrosse League member University of Denver for the third time this season at 2:30 p.m.

On The Tube And Web

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 with Eamon McAnaney and Quint Kessenich calling the action. Paul Carcaterra will be the sideline analyst.

The action can also be seen worldwide on ESPN3, the broadband arm of the ESPN, and on the WatchESPN app on mobile devices.

Series History

Loyola and Denver will meet for the fifth time in series history and third time this season when the teams take the field Saturday. The Greyhounds and Pioneers have met during the regular-season in each of the last three seasons and then earlier this month in an ECAC Semifinal. The series is tied 2-2 through the first four meetings.

Denver won the first two meetings, 12-4 at Invesco Field in 2010 and 12-8 last year at Ridley Athletic Complex.

This season, Loyola used a 5-1 run to close the game, overcoming an 8-7 third-quarter deficit on April 14 in Denver to beat the Pioneers, 12-9.

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.

NCAA Championships History

Loyola is making its 20th all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, 18th at the Division I level. The Greyhounds are 9-19 all-time in Championships play, 9-17 at the Division I level.

The Greyhounds are making their 13th NCAA Quarterfinals appearance and the first since 2001. They are 2-10 in Quarterfinal games with their last victory in the round coming in 1998 against Georgetown in a 12-11 decision.

NCAA Rematches

Saturday will be the first time in Loyola men’s lacrosse history (since 1938) that the Greyhounds will have played the same team three times in the same season.

A rematch with a regular-season opponent in the NCAA Championships is not unusual for Loyola. It will be the 12th time that the Greyhounds have faced a team in the NCAAs that they played earlier in the year. Including a game in the 1979 Division II-III Tournament, Loyola is 2-9 in those games. The last time it happened, Duke defeated the Greyhounds, 12-7, in the 2008 First Round.

This Season Against Denver

Loyola has featured balanced scoring in its two games against Denver with 13 players tallying goals in the two games and eight scoring two or more. Mike Sawyer and Eric Lusby lead the way with four goals each, while Scott Ratliff has three. Davis Butts, Pat Byrnes, Sean O’Sullivan, Phil Dobson and Nikko Pontrello each have scored two against the Pioneers this year. Justin Ward is tops on Loyola with four assists in the two games.

Top Spot

Loyola entered the NCAA Championships as the No. 1 seed for the third time in school history. The Greyhounds were also the top seed in 1998 when they defeated Georgetown, 12-11, in the Quarterfinals to move on to the Final Four for the second time in school history. There, the Greyhounds lost, 19-8, to Maryland. They were then the No. 1 seed in 1999 when they fell in the Quarterfinals to Syracuse, 17-12.

School Record In Wins

Loyola’s victory over Canisius in the NCAA Championships First Round was its 15th of the season, setting a school record for victories in a year. The Greyhounds eclipsed the previous best of 13 that the 1998 squad achieved with a 13-2 record.

This is Loyola’s 15th season all-time with 10 or more wins with 12 coming since the Greyhounds joined Division I in 1982.

In The Polls

Loyola moved up to No. 2 in both the USILA Coaches and Inside Lacrosse Media Polls following their ECAC Championship. The Greyhounds were ranked No. 1 for two weeks before losing their only game of the season on April 28 to Johns Hopkins.

The Greyhounds finished the regular-season with the No. 1 RPI in the NCAA, as well.

Denver entered the NCAAs 13th in both versions.

Second-Half Run

Loyola used 13 unanswered goals to break open a 4-3 halftime lead against Canisius last Saturday in a 17-5 victory over the Golden Griffins in the NCAA Championships First Round.

The Greyhounds took a 4-0 lead in the first quarter before Canisius scored three unanswered in the second. Mike Sawyer corralled a rebound of an Eric Lusby shot off the pipe and scored 1:20 into the second quarter to start the run. During the stretch, Sawyer scored all five of his goals, and Lusby had two of his three.

The run was the second longest in the brief, three-year history of Ridley Athletic Complex. Only a 14-0 run to start the game on March 20, 2010, against Air Force had more goals.

Sawyer Ties Single-Season Record

Mike Sawyer scored five times in the game against Canisius – his fourth game in 2012 with five or more goals – raising his season total to 50 goals to match the 2000 school record set by Tim Goettelmann. Goettelmann went on to become Major League Lacrosse’s all-time leading goal scorer.

Earlier this season, against Hobart, he became the first Loyola player to reach 40 goals in a season since Tim Goettelmann and Gavin Prout scored 50 and 41, respectively, in 2000. They are the only three Loyola players to top 40 this century.

In the ECAC Semifinal against Denver, Sawyer pushed his season point total to 50, a number that is now at 53, making him the first Greyhound to reach 50 in a season since Prout had 58 (37g, 21a) in 2001. It is the fourth time this century that a Loyola player has scored 50 or more points in a season. Goettelmann (65) and Prout (53) both reached the mark in 2000, and Prout did it again the following season. Sawyer’s teammate, Eric Lusby, has since joined him with more than 50 points (more later).

Two Over 40/50

Mike Sawyer (50g, 58p) and Eric Lusby (40g, 54p) became the first set of Loyola teammates to score 40 goals and 50 points in a season since Tim Goettelmann (50, 65) and Gavin Prout (41, 53) accomplished the feat in 2000.

They are one of only two duos in the nation this year – Robert Morris’ Kiel Matisz (40, 64) and Jake Hayes (42, 61) are the other – to post 40 and 50.

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 junior does a lot, as he leads the team in ground balls (74) and caused turnovers (34), is tied for sixth in goals (11) and is seventh in assists (7).

A Tewaaraton Award nominee earlier in the year, 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 All-ECAC First Team honoree and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, then scored twice in the first quarter against Canisius to go along with six ground balls and three faceoff wins in the game.

Ratliff’s Scoring

Scott Ratliff had his third multi-goal game of the season in the NCAA First Round against Canisius, raising his season totals to 11 goals and seven assists.

With his game-opening goal against the Golden Griffins, 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.

Ratliff and Dwan are now tied for the lead with 11 goals each.

Ratliff is second nationally this season in goals and points by a long pole, and his seven assists are tops in the country. Bryant’s Mason Poli leads all long poles this year with 19 goals and 24 points.

The Hardware Department

In the span of seven days, three teams in Loyola’s Department of Athletics advanced to their respective NCAA Championships by winning titles in three different conferences.

The men’s golf team started the trend with its fifth-straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crown on April 29, and the men’s lacrosse team followed by taking the ECAC title on May 4. The women’s lacrosse team completed the trifecta on May 5 when it defeated then-No. 2 Syracuse to win its second-straight BIG EAST Championship. Also, in March, Loyola’s men’s basketball team won its first MAAC title in 18 years and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994.

Sawyer Named One Of Five Tewaaraton Finalists

Mike Sawyer was named one of five Tewaaraton Award finalists on Thursday, joining Colgate A Peter Baum, Duke LSM C.J. Costabile, Massachusetts A Will Manny and Virginia A Steele Stanwick.

Sawyer is the first Loyola men’s player to be named a finalist, and he is also the first player from to hail the State of North Carolina to be so honored. He was one of three Greyhounds on the Tewaaraton Watch List where he was joined by Eric Lusby and Scott Ratliff, and Ratliff was a fellow semifinalist. The Award, which is given annually to the top player in college lacrosse, will be presented on May 31 at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Midfield Scoring

Loyola’s first midfield line of Davis Butts (18g, 30p), Sean O’Sullivan (16, 26) and Chris Layne (10, 20) has combined for 44 goals and 32 assists this season, whiel the second midfield unit of Pat Byrnes (9, 7), J.P. Dalton (9, 4) and Phil Dobson (7, 2) has added 25 and 13. Additionally, Nikko Pontrello has started to mix in with the second midfield, allowing Loyola’s attackers the opportunity to invert, and he has four goals and six assists.

Balanced Scoring In ECAC Championships

Loyola traveled to Denver for the 2012 ECAC Lacrosse League Championships and left the Mile-High City with a 97-pound trophy (no, really). The Greyhounds, who earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament and finished the regular-season 6-0 in the league, beat host and No. 4 seed Denver, 14-13, in overtime to advance to the final. There, Loyola topped Fairfield, 14-7.

Fifteen different Greyhounds scored goals in the two games with 11 tallying goals in the semifinal and 10 in the title game. Mike Sawyer led the team with four goals in the two games, a trio coming in the final, while Eric Lusby, Chris Layne and Scott Ratliff each had three.

Justin Ward led the Greyhounds with eight total points, dishing out three assists in the semifinal and three along with two goals in the championship.

Two players scored their first collegiate goals in the games, one in each contest. Kevin Ryan tallied a first-quarter goal on a man-up possession against Denver, and Brian Schultz recorded his first in the fourth quarter versus Fairfield.

Sawyer, Lusby Form Rare Tandem

Graduate student Eric Lusby and junior Mike Sawyer have formed the top attack tandem in the ECAC Lacrosse League this year and one of the most balanced in the nation. The duo has combined for 90 goals in 16 games this season, an average of 5.625 per game.

Sawyer has scored 50 goals, and his 3.13 goals per game average is third-best in Division I. Lusby, meanwhile is right behind with 40 goals and a 2.5 goals per game mark, a number that is tied for 14th in the country. Loyola is one of two schools to have two players in the top 14 of goals per game nationally (Robert Morris).

The Greyhounds have not had two players score 40 or more goals in the same season since 2000 when Tim Goettelmann set the school single-season record with 50, and Gavin Prout tallied 41. As a side note, the Goettelmann-Prout duo has gone on to highly successful professional careers. Goettelman recently retired from Major League Lacrosse as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 268 goals in 11 seasons. Prout has been an MLL Champion and has scored 314 National Lacrosse League goals to go with 625 assists as a multiple-time all-star.

Spreading Out The Scoring Wealth

Loyola’s first 11 goals against Denver in the ECAC Semifinal night were scored by 11 different players. Eric Lusby, Phil Dobson and Scott Ratliff finished the game with two goals, and eight others had one.

All three members of the Greyhounds’ first midfield – Davis Butts, Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan – scored goals. They received four goals from the four players who make up the second midfield line – Dobson (2), Pat Byrnes and Nikko Pontrello (J.P. Dalton did not score). Extra-man attackman Kevin Ryan scored, and two of the team’s three attackmen – Mike Sawyer and Lusby (2) – recorded goals. Ratliff scored twice in transition, and short-stick defensive midfielder Josh Hawkins added one. The Greyhounds’ other attack player, Justin Ward, did not score but had a game-high three assists.

In the title game, 10 different players scored for Loyola with all three attackers scoring and two of three from the first midfield like tallying goals.

Twelve In A Row Ties Mark

Loyola’s 12-straight to start the season tied the school record for consecutive victories, matching the number put up by the 1998 (March 14-May 17) and 1999 (March 6-May 8).

It also matched the best start to a season, equaling the 1999 team that finished the regular-season unblemished at 12-0.

Ratliff Named ECAC Defender Of The Year

Junior long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, marking the second time in four years a Greyhounds’ long pole has received the award. P.T. Ricci earned the honor in 2009, as well.

Ratliff leads the ECAC with 34 caused turnovers (2.13 per game) and is sixth nationally in that category, and he is tops on the Greyhounds with 74 ground balls (4.5 per contest).

The native of Marietta, Ga., also has scored nine goals and has seven assists this year, keying the Greyhounds’ transition game on many occasions. He earned ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week twice during the year and was the Defensive Player of the Week early in the season.

Toomey Tabbed ECAC Coach Of The Year

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career. This season, Toomey has guided the Greyhounds to a 15-1 mark during the regular-season and the ECAC regular-season crown with a 6-0 mark in conference play.

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.

Earlier this season, Toomey won the 50th game of his coaching career, becoming the fourth coach in Loyola history to win 50 or more – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001), Charles Wenzel (62-104, 1954-1970), Jay Connor (61-46, 1975-1982).  Toomey’s .618 winning percentage trails only Cottle’s .721 at Loyola.

All-ECAC Honors

Five Loyola players earned All-ECAC Lacrosse League honors form the conference’s coaches. Long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff earned a spot as a defender on the First Team, where he was joined by Mike Sawyer on attack and Davis Butts in the midfield.

Sawyer led the ECAC during the regular-season, and is now third nationally, in goals (50) and goals per game (3.13). Butts has scored 18 goals and assisted on 12 from the Greyhounds first midfield line while also regularly playing a role on the wings during face-offs with 36 ground balls.

Attack Eric Lusby and defender Joe Fletcher were tabbed to the All-ECAC Second Team. Lusby is second on the team and is 14th nationally with 40 goals (2.5 per game), and he also has 14 assists this season. Fletcher came on as one of the top lock-down defenders around, earning Midseason All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse last month. He has 30 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers entering the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its 6 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 32 occasions this season.

Loyola scored the first four goals of the ECAC Semifinal game against Denver and then tallied three-straight after the Pioneers pulled within 4-2. The Greyhounds then reeled off five in a row during the third quarter to take a 13-6 lead.

In the ECAC title game, Loyola used an 8-1 run that was comprised of runs of 3-0 and 5-0 to take control of the game.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just 10 times this year, with the most recent coming when Canisius scored three in the second quarter. Only Denver (seven), Johns Hopkins (five), Fairfield (five), Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

Following six of the nine opponent runs of three or more, Loyola has answered in kind with a run of 4-0 or better.

On The EMO

This season, the Greyhounds are ranked second in the nation in man-up offense, scoring 50-percent of the time. Only Lehigh (.553) has a better mark this year.

The last time Loyola finished at or above .500 in man-up offense was in 1997 when it converted 39-of-77 (.506).

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 60-20 in the third quarters of games and 113-56 overall this year in the second half (including overtime).

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland will play Fairfield University in the ECAC Championship Game on Friday, May 4, at 4 p.m. (Mountain) time at Peter Barton Stadium in Denver, Colo.

The top-seeded Greyhounds defeated No. 4 seed University of Denver, 14-13, in overtime Wednesday night, and the No. 3 seed Stags topped Ohio State University, 8-7, in the other semifinal.

On The Tube And Web

The ECAC Championship Game will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Mark Larson and Dale Drypolcher calling the action.

The action can also be seen worldwide on ESPN3, the broadband arm of the ESPN.

Series History

Loyola and Fairfield will play for the 15th time in series history when the teams meet in the ECAC Championship Game. The Greyhounds hold a 12-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Stags are 1-0 when they meet in the ECAC Championships.

The Greyhounds rallied from a two-goal fourth-quarter deficit to score the last four game to defeat Fairfield, 8-6, on April 7, 2012, in the regular-season meeting between the teams. The Stags took a 6-4 lead with 11:59 left in regulation on a John Snellman goal, but Davis Butts assisted a J.P. Dalton goal eight seconds later to start the 4-0 run that led to the win in Connecticut.

ECAC Championships History

Loyola is 1-1 in the brief two-year history of the ECAC Championships after defeating Denver, 14-13, in overtime on Wednesday night.

Last year, the second-seeded Greyhounds lost to Fairfield, the No. 3 seed, 11-9, in the ECAC Semifinal that was also held in Denver.

School-Record Tying Win

Loyola’s victory over Denver on Wednesday night was the team’s 13th of the season, tying the 1998 team for most in school history.

This season’s 13 wins came in 14 games, one fewer the same number it took the 1998 team. That squad finished with a 13-2 record after falling in the NCAA Semifinals.

In The Polls

Loyola’s first loss of the season last Saturday, to then-No. 10 Johns Hopkins, dropped the Greyhounds from the top spot nationally where they resided for two weeks.

The Greyhounds are now No. 3 in both the USILA coaches and Inside Lacrosse/Nike poll.

Fairfield is ranked 16th in both polls.

Back-To-Back OTs

It took Loyola 30 years of NCAA Division I play (the Greyhounds moved into the division in 1982) to play back-to-back overtime games, but now it has experienced the pleasure twice in two years.

Last year, Loyola defeated Fairfield, 7-6, in overtime on April 9, and it then won 6-5 in four extra periods at Georgetown on April 17, marking the first time it had played back-to-back overtime games since joining Division I.

The Greyhounds have now played two-straight overtime games, losing on April 28 at home to Johns Hopkins and defeating Denver on Wednesday night.

Comeback Thwarted

Loyola led Denver 13-6 early in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night, but the Pioneers reeled off seven goals in a row to tie the game at 13-13 with 3:30 to play.

J.P. Dalton won the next faceoff, however, and Loyola retained possession for the rest of regulation, getting off two shots that went wide.

In overtime, Scott Ratliff picked up the ground ball on the first faceoff of overtime, raced to goal and scored eight seconds into the extra frame to give Loyola a 14-13 win.

Denver’s 7-0 run to tie the game was the largest run the Greyhounds have allowed this season, topping 5-0 runs that Fairfield and Johns Hopkins put up.

Ratliff’s Scoring

Scott Ratliff had his second multi-goal game of the season on Wednesday night, raising his season totals to eight goals and six assists.

Ratliff is nearing the Loyola single-season for points by a long pole player. Current assistant coach Matt Dwan set the record during his senior season in 1995 when he tallied 11 goals and five assists while earning All-America honors.

Ratliff, a Tewaaraton Award semifinalist along with teammate Mike Sawyer, is second nationally this season in goals and points by a long pole, and his six assists are tops in the country. Bryant’s Mason Poli leads all long poles this year with 19 goals and 24 points.

Spreading Out The Scoring Wealth

Loyola’s first 11 goals on Wednesday night were scored by 11 different players. Eric Lusby, Phil Dobson and Scott Ratliff finished the game with two goals, and eight others had one.

All three members of the Greyhounds’ first midfield – Davis Butts, Chris Layne and Sean O’Sullivan – scored goals. They received four goals from the four players who make up the second midfield line – Dobson (2), Pat Byrnes and Nikko Pontrello (J.P. Dalton did not score). Extra-man attackman Kevin Ryan scored, and two of the team’s three attackmen – Mike Sawyer and Lusby (2) – recorded goals. Ratliff scored twice in transition, and short-stick defensive midfielder Josh Hawkins added one. The Greyhounds’ other attack player, Justin Ward, did not score but had a game-high three assists.

Scoring From Different Places

Kevin Ryan scored his first career goal on Wednesday night, taking a Justin Ward pass form behind the crease and one-timing a shot into the net. Ryan did not play as a freshman in 2011 but has seen action in 12 games this year from the midfield and on extra-man possessions.

Nikko Pontrello added his third goal of the season and second versus the Pioneers. He also had the game-tying goal in the third quarter of the regular-season match-up that started Loyola’s 5-1 run to close the victory.

Phil Dobson recorded his second career multi-goal game, both coming against top-flight competition. He recorded a pair earlier this season against ACC Champ Duke.

Josh Hawkins added a man-up goal after Mike Sawyer caused a turnover and Justin Ward picked up the ground ball and fed Hawkins. The goal was Hawkins’ fifth of the year, and he also had his first assist of the season on a first-quarter Scott Ratliff goal.

Twelve In A Row Ties Mark

Loyola’s 12-straight to start the season tied the school record for consecutive victories, matching the number put up by the 1998 (March 14-May 17) and 1999 (March 6-May 8).

It also matched the best start to a season, equaling the 1999 team that finished the regular-season unblemished at 12-0.

Ratliff Named ECAC Defender Of The Year

Junior long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, marking the second time in four years a Greyhounds’ long pole has received the award. P.T. Ricci earned the honor in 2009, as well.

Ratliff leads the ECAC with 30 caused turnovers (2.31 per game) and is seventh nationally in that category, and he is tops on the Greyhounds with 52 ground balls (4.0 per contest).

The native of Marietta, Ga., also has scored six goals and has six assists this year, keying the Greyhounds’ transition game on many occasions. He earned ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week twice during the year and was the Defensive Player of the Week early in the season.

Ratliff is one of two Greyhounds, along with Mike Sawyer on attack, who is a semifinalist for the Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s top player.

Toomey Tabbed ECAC Coach Of The Year

Loyola Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his seven-year career. This season, Toomey guided the Greyhounds to a 12-1 mark during the regular-season and the ECAC regular-season crown with a 6-0 mark in conference play.

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.

Earlier this season, Toomey won the 50th game of his coaching career, becoming the fourth coach in Loyola history to win 50 or more – Dave Cottle (181-70, 1983-2001), Charles Wenzel (62-104, 1954-1970), Jay Connor (61-46, 1975-1982).  Toomey’s .611 winning percentage trails only Cottle’s .721 at Loyola.

All-ECAC Honors

Five Loyola players earned All-ECAC Lacrosse League honors form the conference’s coaches on Monday. Long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff earned a spot as a defender on the First Team, where he was joined by Mike Sawyer on attack and Davis Butts in the midfield.

Sawyer led the ECAC during the regular-season, and was third nationally, in goals (41) and goals per game (3.15). Butts scored 15 goals and assisted on 11 from the Greyhounds first midfield line while also playing a role on the wings during face-offs with 33 ground balls.

Attack Eric Lusby and defender Joe Fletcher were tabbed to the All-ECAC Second Team. Lusby is second on the team and in the top-20 nationally with 34 goals, and he also has 10 assists this season. Fletcher came on as one of the top lock-down defenders around, earning Midseason All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse last month. He has 25 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers entering the post season.

Ratliff, Sawyer Named Tewaaraton Semifinalists

Juniors Scott Ratliff and Mike Sawyer were named to the Tewaaraton Award semifinal list as the game’s top players, making Loyola one of five schools – joining Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Massachusetts and Virginia – to have two players make the 25-man list.

Loyola is also one of six schools to have at least one male and one female semifinalist, as sophomore Marlee Paton made the women’s list from Loyola. The winners of both awards will be selected on May 31, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

40-Goal Mark

Mike Sawyer scored four goals on April 21 at Hobart and added one each against Johns Hopkins and Denver, raising his season total to 42 through 14 games. Against Hobart, he became the first Loyola player to reach 40 goals in a season since Tim Goettelmann and Gavin Prout scored 50 and 41, respectively, in 2000.

In addition to being just the third Loyola player to score 40-plus this century, Sawyer is the seventh Greyhound to reach the mark since Loyola moved to NCAA Division I status in 1982.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its 14 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 28 occasions this season.

Loyola used four three-goal runs against Duke, including one three-goal streak that put Loyola up 4-1 at the beginning of the second quarter. The Greyhounds never trailed after that initial three-goal run and extended their lead to 13-5 after its fourth three-goal spurt of the game.

The Greyhounds had their longest run in almost two years against Air Force, scoring 10 in a row to open the second half. The last time Loyola scored 10 or more in a row was on March 20, 2010, when it had 14 straight against Air Force.

At Fairfield, Loyola scored the final four goals of the game to rally from a 6-4 deficit to win 8-6. The Greyhounds then scored four in a row during the third and fourth quarters at Denver that brought them from down 8-7 to a 12-9 victory.

Versus Johns Hopkins, the Greyhounds scored four in a row, holding the Blue Jays scoreless for the last 14:13 of regulation, to tie the game at 9-9, sending it to overtime.

Loyola scored the first four goals of the ECAC Semifinal game against Denver and then tallied three-straight after the Pioneers pulled within 4-2. The Greyhounds then reeled off five in a row during the third quarter to take a 13-6 lead.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just nine times this year, with the most recent coming when Denver scored three on two occasions. Only Denver (seven), Johns Hopkins (five), Fairfield (five), Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

Following six of the nine opponent runs of three or more, Loyola has answered in kind with a run of 4-0 or better.

Sawyer, Lusby Form Rare Tandem

Graduate student Eric Lusby and junior Mike Sawyer have formed the top attack tandem in the ECAC Lacrosse League this year and one of the most balanced in the nation. The duo has combined for 78 goals in 14 games this season, an average of 5.6 per game.

Sawyer has scored 42 goals, and his 3.0 goals per game average is third-best in Division I. Lusby, meanwhile is right behind with 36 goals and a 2.57 goals per game mark, a number that is tied for 14th in the country. Loyola is one of two schools to have two players in the top 14 of goals per game nationally.

The Greyhounds have not had two players score 36 or more goals in the same season since 2000 when Tim Goettelmann set the school single-season record with 50, and Gavin Prout tallied 41. As a side note, the Goettelmann-Prout duo has gone on to highly successful professional careers. Goettelman recently retired from Major League Lacrosse as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 268 goals in 11 seasons. Prout has been an MLL Champion and has scored 314 National Lacrosse League goals to go with 625 assists as a multiple-time all-star.

On The EMO

This season, the Greyhounds are ranked second in the nation in man-up offense, scoring 52.6-percent of the time. Only Lehigh (.553) has a better mark this year.

The last time Loyola finished above .500 in man-up offense was in 1997 when it converted 39-of-77 (.506).

Second-Half Success

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 51-20 in the third quarters of games and 94-52 overall this year in the second half (including overtime).

The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

YORK, Pa. – After posting a 14-4 record, finishing second in the CAC and earning a No. 4 national ranking, the Stevenson men’s lacrosse team had seven players named to the All-CAC team on Tuesday, including three named to the first team. All seven players earned their first career all-conference selections.

In their five seasons in the CAC, the Mustangs had a total of 39 All-CAC selections while boasting two CAC Rookie of the Year honorees
and the 2011 CAC Player of the Year.

Freshman Stephen Banick (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic), junior Kyle Holechek (Reisterstown, Md./Loyola Blakefield) and senior Ian Bolland (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) were each named to the first team.

Senior Justin Lea (Elkridge, Md./Mount Saint Joseph), juniors Parker Bratton (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) and Kyle Fendlay (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) and sophomore Ryan Rubenstein (Sykesville, Md./Boys’ Latin) were all selected to the second team.

Banick leads the team in goals, assists and points in his first season, having totaled 29 goals, 24 assists and 53 points in 18 games while making 17 starts. He ranks sixth in the CAC in goals and points.

Holechek is the team’s leader with 70 ground balls and 48 caused turnovers, a mark that ranks second for a single-season in school
history. He currently ranks second in the CAC in caused turnovers and was named CAC Defensive Player of the Week on March 26.

Bolland has started all 18 of the team’s games in goal and leads the CAC in minutes played with 1,005. He is second with a 6.51 goals
against average and 14 victories while ranking fourth with a 55.1 saves percentage.

Lea is second on the team with a career-high 22 goals, despite missing eight games due to injury. He is also fourth on the team with 26
points and was named CAC Offensive Player of the Week on April 9.

Bratton has played in all 18 of the team’s games while starting in 17 and ranking second on the team and fifth in the CAC with 28 caused
turnovers. He has also totaled 43 ground balls.

Fendlay is fourth member of the Mustangs’ starting defense to earn All-CAC honors. He joins Holechek and Bolland as the only three
players to start all 18 games this season and ranks third on the team with 24 caused turnovers and second with 59 ground balls.

Rubenstein, the 2011 CAC Rookie of the Year, has totaled 14 caused turnovers and 38 ground balls this season. He has also totaled one
goal and one assist and long-stick midfielder.

Cambridge, Mass. – Junior attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C./Terry Fox) and sophomore face-off specialist Phil Poe (Harwood, Md./DeMatha) were named to the America East Conference First Team in voting done by the league’s six head coaches.

Senior defender Aaron Verardi (Lutherville, Md./Boys’ Latin) and junior midfielder Scott Hopmann (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary’s) earned Second Team honors, while freshman A/M Derek Bertolini (Madison, Conn./Choate) was selected to the All-Rookie Team. Junior defender Ethan Murphy (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East) was named to the league’s All-Academic team.

Jones is UMBC’s lone repeat honoree, as the nation’s current ninth-leading goal scorer, earned Second Team honors in 2011.

Jones has hat tricks or better in four of his last five outings, scoring a total of 16 goals in that span. He had scored in 14 consecutive games (35g-10a-45pts, 3.21 ppg) until being held off the board at Vermont on April 7. Jones had multiple points in 12 of those contests and is currently 9th in the nation with 2.83 goals per contest in 2012. He now also has 12 career games with three or more goals, seven of which has been recorded this season.

A team tri-captain, Jones’ season total of 34 goals is the most since Alex Hopmann scored 36 times in 2009 and it is tied for the 17th-best single season in school history.

Poe has attempted all but six draws through 12 games in 2012. He has already won 155 draws in 2012, which is 7th on the Retrievers’ all-time list. He was named America East Conference Player of the Week for games ending April 21 as he tied a school record by winning 22 face-offs in the 17-16 overtime victory over Albany. Moreover, his 15 ground balls recorded are the most since Nick Brownlee scooped a school-record 18 vs. VMI in 1997.

The 22 face-off wins are tied for the sixth-most in a Division I single game in 2012. Poe’s 68 ground balls on the season is the most for a
Retriever since Taylor Marino had 78 in 2008. Poe has won 14 or more draws in eight of the 12 contests in 2012. He is ranked 15th in the country with 5.67 ground balls per game.

Verardi, a four-year letterwinner, started all five conference games at close defense and competed in all 12 contests to date. He has recorded a career-best 15 ground balls, caused six turnovers and scored his first collegiate goal. For his career, Verardi has played in 39 games, starting 22, and has only committed two penalties in that span.

Hopmann recovered from a preseason hamstring injury and is the lone Retriever to record at least one point in each game (11) that he has dressed for in 2012. He is third on the team with 20 points, scoring 12 goals and adding eight assists. He averages 2.2 points per game in America East play and led UMBC with three goals and an assist in the 11-8 win at Vermont.

Bertolini has been a solid contributor in his first season at UMBC. A converted attackman, Bertolini has started four of five America East games at midfield. He has five goals and eight assists to date, which was highlighted by a one-goal, three-assist effort in the 17-16 overtime win vs. Albany.

Murphy, also a tri-captain, converted from a long-stick midfielder position to a spot on close defense in 2012. He has started all 12 games and leads the team with 13 caused turnovers. He is also second on the squad with 37 ground balls.

A total of 66 Retrievers have earned America East accolades in nine years of league competition.

Ratliff Earns Top ECAC Defensive Honor; Toomey Coach of the Year

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Year, and he was joined by four of his teammates on the All-ECAC teams, the league office announced Monday.

Greyhounds Head Coach Charley Toomey was named the ECAC Coach of the Year after leading Loyola to a perfect 6-0 record in the conference regular-season, a 12-1 overall record and a national No. 1 ranking for two weeks. It is the third time in seven years Toomey has been tabbed the league’s top coach.

Ratliff was one of three Greyhounds named to the All-ECAC First Team, joining Mike Sawyer on attack and Davis Butts in the midfield. Ratliff was named to the team as a defender. Eric Lusby and Joe Fletcher were named to the All-ECAC Second Team on attack and defense, respectively.

Ratliff led the ECAC and is seventh in the nation in caused turnovers per game, finishing the regular-season with 30 total, an average of 2.31 per game. He also tops the Greyhounds with 52 ground balls, 4.0 per game, and has been a key part of the Loyola defense that is seventh in the nation in scoring defense per game. Ratliff was twice named the ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week, and he also earned an ECAC Defensive Player of the Week nod.

Butts led the Greyhounds’ first midfield in scoring, checking in with 15 goals, third-best on the team, and 11 assists, second-most for Loyola. He was also a frequent contributor on the wing for faceoffs and as a defensive midfielder, logging 33 ground balls. Butts contributed eight multi-point games and set career-highs with four goals at Bellarmine and four assists versus Air Force.

Sawyer led the ECAC in total goals (41) and goals per game (3.15) during the regular-season. Through 13 games, he is ranked third in the nation in goals per game, and along with Ratliff, he was named a semifinalist for the Tewaaraton Award, given yearly to the nation’s top player. He logged hat tricks in nine of the Greyhounds’ 13 games and had multi-goal efforts 11 times. Sawyer’s 41 goals are the most by a Loyola player since the 2001 season

Fletcher, in his first year as a starter, has been noted as one of the top lock-down defenders in the nation, earning Midseason All-America Second Team honors from Inside Lacrosse. He has caused 14 turnovers and picked up 25 ground balls on the team that is ranked seventh in the nation in scoring defense.

The Greyhounds earned the top seed in this week’s ECAC Championships that will be played at Peter Barton Stadium on the campus of Denver University. Loyola will play the fourth-seeded, and host, Pioneers, at 5 p.m. (Mountain) on Wednesday, May 2. The winner of the game will play the winner of No. 2 Ohio State University and No. 3 Fairfield University in the Championship Game on Friday at 4 p.m. (Mountain).

UMBC (5-6, 3-1 America East) takes on host Binghamton (3-9, 0-4) in the regular season finale at the Bearcats Sports Complex on Saturday, April 28. The Retrievers are seeking a victory to post their first back-to-back wins of the season and clinch at least one home game in next week’s America East Conference Championships. The opening face-off is scheduled to take place at 7:00 p.m.

SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS

JR A Scott Jones capped a miraculous rally with a goal at the 1:43 mark of overtime and the Retrievers edged Albany, 17-16, at UMBC Stadium on Senior Day. With the victory, UMBC clinched a spot in the America East four-team playoffs for the ninth time in nine conference seasons.

The Retrievers (3-1 AEC) also will have a winning league record in America East for the ninth consecutive year.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS:

UMBC will be the No. 1 seed if…

The Retrievers defeat Binghamton and Albany defeats Stony Brook

UMBC will be the No. 2 seed if…

Stony Brook defeats Albany

UMBC will be the No. 3 seed if…

UMBC loses to Binghamton and Albany defeats Stony Brook

SO M Phil Poe was been named America East Conference Player of the Week. Poe tied a school record by winning 22 face-offs in the 17-16 overtime victory over Albany. Poe is ranked 14th in the country in ground balls per game (5.91) and 21st in face-off winning pct. (55.5).

Jones has scored 17 goals in his last five outings and became the first Retrievers since Alex Hopmann (36) in 2009 to reach the 30-goal plateau with 31 scores. he is tenth in the nation with 2.82 goals per game.

SO A Joe Lustgarten is 7th in the country with 2.0 assists per game.

The 17 goals scored by UMBC was its most since a 17-10 win over Rutgers in 2009… The 33 goals combined by the two squads was the most in a Retriever contest since an 18-15 loss at Towson early in the 1998 campaign.

BEASTS OF AMERICA EAST: UMBC is now 36-10 in nine years of America East competition and 20-4 at UMBC Stadium. UMBC has never lost back-to-back regular season contests in league play.

WINNING THE TIGHT ONES: UMBC is now 26-16 in games decided by three goals or less since the beginning of the 2007 season. UMBC had won eight straight overtime decisions from 2007-09 until dropping a Feb. 20, 2010 triple overtime decision to Delaware. UMBC’s previous overtime loss was an 11-10 setback at Penn early in the 2006 season.

In 2012, UMBC is 2-4 in games decided by one or two goals. The Retrievers have won 17 of its last 23 one-goal decisions.

UMBC is now 16-6 in Don Zimmerman’s 19 seasons in overtime and in his career, Coach Zimmerman is 18-8 in extra time in 26 seasons.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS

Binghamton dropped its third straight game last Saturday with a 11-5 defeat at Vermont, eliminating the Bearcats from playoff contention.

SO M Michael Antinozzi registered a goal and two assists, while fellow midfielder Tyler Perrelle chipped in with a goal and an assist in the losing effort.

Antinozzi improved his point per game total to 3.25 (28 goals, 11 assists, 4th in AE) and is just one goal shy of tying the BU season scoring record with 29 goals. Perrell has 23 goals in 2012.

The game will feature the Bearcats seven seniors which include Ryan Button, Ben Waldron, John Clark, Jeff Donigan, Jordan Marra, Chris Cook and Nick Marshall. The Bearcats are 3-2 at home in 2012.

The Bearcats lead America East with 36.3 shots per game, but are last in shooting accuracy at 25.0 percent.

Binghamton also leads America East with 8.25 caused turnovers per contest.

THE SERIES

Binghamton won the first match-up between the two teams in 2004 (5-4), but UMBC has won the last 11 straight.

The last two AEC tournament games between the two teams have gone to overtime in 2008 and 2009.

Due to playoff games at UMBC, four of the last five meetings have occurred at UMBC Stadium. Six of the 12 meetings have been decided by three goals or fewer. Dave Brown scored three goals and added an assist as the host Retrievers edged Binghamton, 8-6, in the last meeting on April 9, 2011. UMBC used a 6-0 run in the second quarter to take control of the contest. Rob Grimm had three goals and two assists and Nick Doub had a career-best 3-point game (2g, 1a) in UMBC’s 12-6 win at Binghamton in 2010. Adam Cohen recorded that win in goal.

Ratliff Earns ECAC Co-Specialist Of The Week

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland junior long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Lacrosse League Co-Specialist of the Week on Monday after helping the top-ranked Greyhounds to a 17-6 victory Saturday afternoon against Hobart College.

Ratliff scored a goal, assisted on two and directly led to another in the victory. He also registered four caused turnovers and two ground balls.

The Tewaaraton Award finalist first caused turnover led to a Josh Hawkins ground ball, transition run and the Greyhounds’ first goal of the game.

This season, Ratliff has scored six goals and has fiveassists, and he leads the team in ground balls (47) and caused turnovers (28). His 2.33 caused turnovers per game average is good for fifth in NCAA Division I.

Ratliff has earned two Specialist of the Week honors this year and one Defensive Player of the Week nod from the ECAC.

The Greyhounds (12-0 overall, 6-0 ECAC) wrap up their regular-season on Saturday at 1 p.m. when they host Johns Hopkins University at Ridley Athletic Complex.

Cambridge, Mass.- UMBC face-off specialist Phil Poe (Harwood, Md./DeMatha) has been named America East Conference Player of the Week, the league announced today.

Poe tied a school record by winning 22 face-offs in the 17-16 overtime victory over Albany. Moreover, his 15 ground balls recorded are the most
since Nick Brownlee scooped a school-record 18 vs. VMI in 1997.

Poe won 9 of 11 fourth quarter draws to lead the UMBC comeback from five goals down in the final six minutes. He also scored a fourth-quarter goal which shaved the deficit to 16-13.

The 22 face-off wins are tied for the sixth-most in a Division I single game in 2012.

Poe’s 65 ground balls on the season is the most for a Retriever since Taylor Marino had 78 in 2008. He has won 147 draws in 2012 (147-115,
55.5%), which is already the ninth-most in a single season in school history and is winning at a 61.4 percent clip (70-44) in league play.

UMBC (5-6, 3-1 America East) has clinched a spot in the America East Championships for the ninth time in nine league seasons. The Retrievers
close out the regular season at Binghamton on April 28.

Game Data

• Loyola University Maryland wraps up ECAC Lacrosse League play on Saturday, April 21, 2012 when it concludes a three-game road trip with a 12 noon face-off at Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y.

Series History

• The Greyhounds will meet Hobart for the 15th time in series history when the teams take the field on Saturday and the eighth time as ECAC foes. Both programs joined the league for the 2005 season.
• Loyola holds an 11-3 advantage in the previous 14 games that have been played between the teams, including an 11-8 victory on April 23, 2011, at Ridley Athletic Complex. Four Greyhounds – Patrick Fanshaw, Matt Langan, Stephen Murray and Mike Sawyer – scored two goals each.

In The Polls

• The Greyhounds rose to No. 1 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll and are tied for the top spot in the USILA Coaches ranking with fellow unbeaten Massachusetts. More on the rankings later.

Top Spot

• Loyola is ranked No. 1 in the nation (in the USILA poll) for the first time since May 10, 1999, when the Greyhounds completed a 12-0 regular-season. Loyola was ranked first in the final nine polls of that season, and it was No. 1 for two weeks during the 1994 season (April 12 and 19) and one week in 1992 (March 31).
• The Greyhounds are just the second team since the USILA poll was introduced in 1973 to go from being unranked to No. 1 in the same season. The other team to accomplish the feat was the 2007 Duke team that went from being unranked in the first poll of the year to No. 2 in the second and first in the third.
• Since the inception of the ECAC Lacrosse League in 2000, Loyola is the second conference member to attain a No. 1 ranking, joining former member Georgetown, which was in the top spot for a week in 2007.
• Loyola is also ranked first in the initial version of the RPI released by the NCAA.

Road Warriors

• Loyola has used second-half comebacks to win its first two games of its current ECAC road trip, scoring the last four gaols of the game to beat then-No. 14 Fairfield, 8-6, on April 7, before using a 5-1 run to close the game in a 12-9 win at then-No. 8 Denver.
• The Fairfield game was the first time this season Loyola had trailed in the fourth quarter, and the 4-4 tie going into the final stanza was the first time it had not led outright entering the frame.
• The Greyhounds held Fairfield scoreless for the final 11 minutes, 59 seconds of action, and they then kept Denver off the board for 22:32 in the third and fourth quarters while they scored four unanswered.

Defense Standing Tall

• The Greyhounds’ defense is ranked sixth in NCAA Division I, and tops in the ECAC, with a 7.18 goals allowed per game mark, as they have not allowed more than nine goals in a single game this season. The Greyhounds are one of three teams (Massachusetts and Notre Dame are the others) who have allowed fewer than 10 in each outing this season.

ECAC Spot Locked Up

• Loyola’s win at Denver secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming ECAC Championships for the Greyhounds, as well as at least a share of the ECAC regular-season crown. It is Loyola’s third time sharing, or winning outright, the ECAC title since joining the conference in 2005.

Big Runs

• Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its first 11 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 21 occasions this season.
• Loyola used four three-goal runs against Duke, including one three-goal streak that put Loyola up 4-1 at the beginning of the second quarter. The Greyhounds never trailed after that initial three-goal run and extended their lead to 13-5 after its fourth three-goal spurt of the game.
• The Greyhounds had their longest run in almost two years against Air Force, scoring 10 in a row to open the second half. The last time Loyola scored 10 or more in a row was on March 20, 2010, when it had 14 straight against Air Force.
• Loyola then used a 6-0 run to break a 5-5 tie early in the third quarter with Georgetown on the way to a 11-6 victory.
• The Greyhounds then scored seven in a row on the back end of a 10-1 run last Saturday at UMBC, and after falling behind 3-2 in the second quarter against Ohio State, the Greyhounds strung together four in a row to go ahead 6-3 by the end of the third quarter.
• At Fairfield, Loyola scored the final four goals of the game to rally from a 6-4 deficit to win 8-6. The Greyhounds then scored four in a row during the third and fourth quarters at Denver that brought them from down 8-7 to a 12-9 victory.

On The Flip Side

• Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just seven times this year, with the most recent coming when Denver scored three on two occasions.
• Only Fairfield (five) and Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.
• Following six of the seven opponent runs of three or more, Loyola has answered in kind with a run of 4-0 or better.

Taking Care Of The Ball

• Loyola was outshot, 39-34, and Denver had seven more ground balls (32-25) than the Greyhounds last Saturday, but Loyola used a significant turnover margin to its advantage in the win. The Greyhounds committed a season-low seven turnovers against the Pioneers who had 16.
• The Greyhounds lead the ECAC this year with the fewest turnovers per game, averaging 13.45, more than 1.5 fewer than Fairfield which is second with 15.17. Loyola is seventh nationally in the stat category.

Balanced Attack

• Nine Loyola players scored in the win over Denver with Mike Sawyer (3) and Eric Lusby (2) leading the way as the only players to score multiple times. Only once this season, Air Force (10) have more Loyola players scored in a game.
• This season, four Greyhounds – Mike Sawyer (36), Eric Lusby (29), Sean O’Sullivan (12) and Davis Butts (11) – have 10 or more goals, and four others have 10-plus points.

Transition Scoring

• Loyola used three goals in unsettled situations to its advantage on the way to the win at Denver. Long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was involved in all three, scoring a goal and an assist, and clearing the ball for an unassisted Mike Sawyer dodge-and-goal in another.
• Ratliff, a Tewaaraton Award Nominee, is tops on the team in ground balls (45) and caused turnovers (24) and has scored five goals and assisted on three this season.

Defense Digs In Again

• Loyola’s defensive unit held Denver to more than three goals fewer than its season average. The Pioneers came into the game averaging nearly 12.7 goals per game, but the Greyhounds limited them to just nine.
• Denver’s Mark Matthews sported a 39-game goal scoring streak coming into the game, but Loyola held him to just a single assist, snapping what had been the nation’s second-longest streak.

Another Defensive Honor

• Loyola players have won six of this year’s nine ECAC Defensive Player of the Week awards and each of the last four. Scott Ratliff won the initial award following the season-opener against Delaware, and goalkeeper Jack Runkel earned the honor on March 12.
• Runkel again won the award on March 26, starting a four-week stretch in which he and defender Reid Acton have alternated garnering the honor.
• Acton was named the most recent recipient on Monday after he drew primary marking responsibilities on Denver’s Mark Matthews, holding the All-American without a goal for the first time in 40 games.

Sawyer, Lusby Form Rare Tandem

• Graduate student Eric Lusby and junior Mike Sawyer have formed the top attack tandem in the ECAC Lacrosse League this year and one of the most balanced in the nation. The Tewaaraton Award nominees have combined for 65 goals in 11 games this season, an average of 5.9 per game.
• Sawyer has scored 36 goals, and his 3.27 goals per game average is third-best in Division I. Lusby, meanwhile is right behind with 29 goals and a 2.64 goals per game mark, a number that is tied for the country. Loyola is the only school to have two players in the top 15 of goals per game nationally.
• The Greyhounds have not had two players score 29 or more goals in the same season since 2000 when Tim Goettelmann set the school single-season record with 50, and Gavin Prout tallied 41. As a side note, the Goettelmann-Prout duo has gone on to highly successful professional careers. Goettelman recently retired from Major League Lacrosse as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 268 goals in 11 seasons.Prout has been an MLL Champion and has scored 314 National Lacrosse League goals to go with 625 assists as a multiple-time all-star.

Runkel Moving Up Stats Charts

• Entering the final two games of the 2012 regular-season, sophomore goalkeeper Jack Runkel has risen to seventh in the nation with a 7.32 goals against average. In 10 games, eight starts, Runkel has made saves on 55.3-percent of shots on goal he’s faced, the No. 17 mark in the country.
• While Runkel has picked up three weekly conference awards this year, much of the credit can also go to the defensive unit as a whole. Opponents have taken 255 total shots while Runkel has been in goal this year, but just 141 have been on goal.

Causing Miscues

• Loyola’s defense is fourth in Division I in caused turnovers per game, averaging 9.64 a contest. Four Greyhounds – Scott Ratliff (2.1), Reid Acton (1.18), Dylan Grimm (1.18) Joe Fletcher and Dylan Grimm (both 1.0) – are averaging more than one per game. Ratliff ranks ninth in Division I in the category.

On The EMO

• Loyola continued its success on extra-man opportunities, going 2-of-2 against Denver last Saturday, both during the closing 5-1 run.
• This season, the Greyhounds are ranked second in the nation in man-up offense, scoring 54.8-percent of the time. Only Lehigh (.583) has a better mark this year. The last time Loyola finished above .500 in man-up offense was in 1997 when it converted 39-of-77 (.506).

Closer Calls

• Loyola’s 8-7 victory on March 31 against Ohio State marked the first time this year that the Greyhounds played a game decided by less than three goals. Previously, Loyola’s closest victory was 11-8 on March 3 at Bellarmine, and no other game was within five goals.
• Since then, however, all three of Loyola’s games have been decided by three or fewer goals.

Lusby, Ratliff Join Sawyer On Tewaaraton Watch List

• Loyola’s Eric Lusby and Scott Ratliff were named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, joining fellow Greyhound Mike Sawyer who was named to the group before the season. Lusby is second on the team with 29 goals and 38 points, while Ratliff paces the team in caused turnovers with 24 and ground balls, 45.

Second-Half Success

• Loyola continued a trend of strong second-half play this season by pulling away from Denver in the second half, outscoring the Pioneers, 6-4.
• The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 41-5 in the third quarters of games and 73-38 overall this year in the second half.
• The second-half scoring continues a trend from the last two seasons. Last year, Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56 two years ago.

Toomey Wins 50th

• Head coach Charley Toomey earned his 50th-career win Wednesday, March 7, as Loyola beat Michigan, 15-8.
• Toomey, who is in his seventh season, has led Loyola to eight-plus wins in each of the last three seasons and has had the Greyhounds finish .500 or better in all seven seasons since coming to the Evergreen campus.

Bonitatibus, Runkel Both Win First Starts

• Junior Michael Bonitatibus made his first collegiate start in goal for the Greyhounds against Delaware after having played less than two minutes prior to this season.
• Bonitatibus, who played 65 seconds in his collegiate debut last year at Duke, made seven saves for the Greyhounds and allowed just eight goals. He also picked up five ground balls and caused two turnovers.
• Bonitatibus became the first Loyola goalkeeper to win his starting debut in nearly 11 years. The last was Mark Bloomquist who also defeated Delaware, 8-7, on February 24, 2001.
• Jack Runkel made his first career start against Michigan and also won his initial outing as a starter. He tallied five saves against the Wolverines, and he then posted a career-high 12 against Duke.

Record At Ridley

• After going 4-1 at Ridley Athletic Complex last season, the Greyhounds have opened their third year at the stadium with six wins at home. Loyola is now 14-3 all-time at Ridley.

What’s Next

• Loyola returns to Ridley Athletic Complex for its final regular-season game on Saturday, April 28. The Greyhounds will host Johns Hopkins University in a 1 o’clock face-off.