TOWSON, Md. – Tiger Bowl II, which features an intrasquad football game among members of the Towson University team, will be held on Saturday, April 21 as a highlight of a full day of activities for Tiger fans.

The Tiger Bowl, which attracted more than 1,000 fans last season, will be played at 1 p.m. in Johnny Unitas® Stadium. Admission to the Tiger Bowl is free and open to the public.

Tiger Bowl Saturday starts at 9 a.m. with a Youth Football Clinic that will be held at the Towson University Soccer Complex. The clinic is open to all eighth graders or younger and it will be conducted by the Tiger coaching staff.

At 11:30 a.m., the Tiger Football Alumni Game will be played in Unitas Stadium. Former football players will return to the gridiron in a game of flag football on Minnegan Field.

The inaugural Tiger Bowl will conclude the Tiger football team’s Spring season. Coach Rob Ambrose and his staff have 42 letter winners and a very talented group of newcomers who will be hoping to impress the coaching staff during the Tiger Bowl. The Tigers return nine starters on offense and nine starters on defense from last year’s team.

The 2011 Tigers were known as the “Turnaround Tigers” as they were the most improved team in NCAA FCS. One year after posting a 1-10 record, the 2011 Tigers went 9-3 and won their first Colonial Athletic Association championship. The Tigers, who were ranked ninth at the end of the season, reached the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs.

Junior tackle Eric Pike is one of the top returnees for an offense that rushed for 229.9 yards per game and ranked among the national leaders with a 34.8 scoring average. A third-year starter at tackle, Pike was named third team All-CAA. Junior quarterback Grant Enders, a two-time selection as CAA Offensive Player of the Week, returns to direct the Tiger offense. Last season, he led the CAA in passing efficiency while throwing for 2,081 yards and 16 touchdowns. Sophomore Terrance West is back to lead the Tigers’ rushing attack. The winner of the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in FCS football, West ran for 1,294 yards last season and scored an NCAA FCS-leading 29 touchdowns.

A pair of All-America selections, senior safety Jordan Dangerfield and senior defensive end Frank Beltre, return to lead the Tigers’ defense. A first team All-America selection by The College Sports Journal, Dangerfield led the Tigers with 93 tackles despite missing two games with an injury. He was a virtual turnover machine as he intercepted two passes, forced two fumbles and recovered a pair of fumbles. An honorable mention All-American, Beltre was tied for fourth on the team with 68 tackles. He also led the Tigers with 12 tackles for lost yardage.

While Tiger Bowl II is being played in Unitas Stadium, the Tiger baseball team will host Georgia State in the second game of their three-game weekend series at John B. Schuerholz Park at 2 p.m.

After Tiger Bowl II is played, the Tiger men’s lacrosse team will honor their seniors when the Tigers host Drexel University in a vital CAA matchup in Unitas Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland junior defender Reid Acton was named the ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks, the conference announced today.

The award marks the fourth time in as many weeks that a Loyola player has earned the honor, as Acton has alternated with sophomore goalkeeper Jack Runkel. Greyhound defenders have won the Defensive Player of the Week award in six of nine weeks this season.

Acton and the Greyhounds’ defense played a major role in Loyola’s victory at then-No. 8/10 Denver University on Saturday night. Loyola (11-0 overall, 5-0 ECAC) held the Pioneers to over three goals under their season average that was near 13 per game entering the contest.

With the 12-9 victory, Loyola clinched the No. 1 spot in the May 2-4 ECAC Tournament and earned at least a share of the league’s regular-season crown.

Acton had primary marking responsibilities for Denver’s Mark Matthews, the Pioneers’ attacker who entered the game with the nation’s second longest streak with at least one goal in a game. Acton and the Greyhounds held Matthews to just an assist, snapping his stretch of games with goals at 39.

Earlier on Monday, the Greyhounds moved up to No. 1 in both the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media and USILA coaches polls. They share the top spot in the coaches’ version with the nation’s only other unbeaten team, Massachusetts.

Loyola wraps up ECAC play with its final regular-season road game of the year, a 12 noon affair on Saturday, April 21, at Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y.

Opening Face-Off After having its five-game winning streak snapped at No. 2 UMass, the Towson men’s lacrosse team will look to bounce back against No. 16 Penn State Saturday at Johnny Unitas® Stadium. Saturday will also be Alumni Day as the Tigers welcome back dozens of former players. Saturday’s crucial CAA clash, which is sponsored by PNC Bank, is set to get underway at 7:30 p.m. and fans can catch the game live on WNST-AM 1570 with Spiro Morekas and Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
Despite having its five-game winning streak snapped at UMass, Towson remains near the top of the CAA standings with three games to play. The Tigers are 7-4 overall and tied for third in the league standings with a 2-1 mark. Towson continues to rank among the nation’s best in shot percentage, converting goals on 35.1 percent of their shots. That number ranks tops among CAA schools and third nationally. Sophomore Thomas DeNapoli leads the Tigers with 27 points on 15 goals and 12 assists. With his goal at UMass, senior Sean Maguire extended his point streak to 14 consecutive games dating back to last season. Maguire paces six Tigers that have tallied double-digit goals this year with 18. Junior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage has made an impressive 32 saves in his last two outings, including a career-high 17 against rival UMBC. Wascavage ranks fifth in the CAA by averaging 9.18 saves per game.

Scouting the Nittany Lions
Penn State (6-5, 2-1 CAA) has won three of its last four games and is coming off a critical CAA road win at Drexel. The Nittany Lions lone league loss came in overtime (9-8) against No. 2 UMass. Penn State also picked up a big road win by knocking off No. 6 Notre Dame, 4-3 in overtime, earlier this season. The Nittany Lions have five players with double-digit points, led by current CAA Player of the Week Jack Forester. Forester has posted a team-high 34 points on 23 goals and 11 assists. The senior recorded seven points (4g, 3a) to lead Penn State to a come-from-behind win at Drexel this past Saturday. Forester has notched consecutive four-goal games and is in the midst of a seven-game goal-scoring streak.

Towson-Penn State Series History
The Tigers own a 13-5 all-time record against the Nittany Lions since the series began in 1981. Towson has won two of the last three meetings and 10 of 12 against Penn State since 1987. However, the Nittany Lions defeated the Tigers last season, 7-6. Towson has won seven of nine all-time home matchups between the squads.

Among the Nation’s Best
Towson ranks among the nation’s best in shot percentage this season. The Tigers have scored 105 goals on just 299 shots (35.1 percent), a number that ranks tops in the CAA and third nationally. Bucknell leads the nation shooting at a 37.9 percent clip. Shot percentage is one of two statistical categories that Towson leads the CAA in. The Tigers are also first in league in man-up scoring, converting on 14 of 30 opportunities.

Game Data

Loyola University Maryland will play the middle game of a three-game road trip on Saturday, April 14, in The Centennial State. The Greyhounds will take on Denver University at 7 p.m. (Mountain Daylight Time) at Peter Barton Stadium.

Series History

Denver has won the first two meetings between the teams, each coming in the last two seasons since the Pioneers joined the ECAC Lacrosse League. Denver won the first meeting, 12-4, at Invesco Field in 2010, and the Pioneers then took a 12-8 decision last season in Baltimore.

In The Polls

Loyola checked in at No. 4 for the third week in a row in the USILA Coaches’ Poll this week, and the Greyhounds are in the same No. 4 spot of the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media rankings for the second-consecutive week.. The coaches’ poll mark is Loyola’s highest ranking since it was third in the April 1, 2002, poll with a 7-0 record after downing Towson, 15-7.

Denver is currently ranked 10th in the coaches version, and eighth in the media poll.

Rally Caps

Loyola used a late rally to win its 10th game of the season last Saturday, an 8-6 victory at then-No. 14 Fairfield. The Greyhounds scored the last four goals of the game to come back from a 6-4 fourth-quarter deficit.

It was the first time this year that 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.

Defense Standing Tall

The Greyhounds’ defense is ranked fifth in NCAA Division I with a 7.0 goals allowed per game mark, as they have not allowed more than eight goals in a single game this season.

Loyola is the only team in the nation with the distinction of not having allowed eight or more goals in a game. 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.

Ward Steps Up Scoring

Justin Ward has raised his scoring numbers over Loyola’s last two games, complimenting fellow attack members Mike Sawyer and Eric Lusby. Against Ohio State and Fairfield, Ward combined for three goals and four assists for a team-high seven points during that stretch.

Of his three goals, two were during critical fourth-quarter stretches in both games. Against Ohio State, he rolled around a Sean O’Sullivan screen at goal-line extended, stepped in and shot from seven yards out, scoring to put Loyola up 7-5.

At Fairfield, Ward tied the game at 6-6, after Loyola had trailed 6-4, with his second goal of the game at 7:19, and he then assisted on Mike Sawyer’s eventual game-winner less than two minutes later.

Ward, who had one assist as a freshman last season, leads the Greyhounds with 17 assists this season, and he is third on the team with 23 points.

Runkel Honored For Third Time

Sophomore goalkeeper Jack Runkel was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in five weeks on Monday after posting 12 saves and allowing just six goals against Fairfield.

Runkel, who took over as the Greyhounds’ starter in the fourth game of the season, is the only ECAC defender to be honored on more than one occasion this year, and along with Scott Ratliff and Reid Acton, Loyola defenders have earned the award in five of seven weeks.

In just under 500 minutes of action between the pipes this season, Runkel has played to a 7.10 goals against average and a .565 save percentage. He is sixth in Division I in goals against average and 14th in save percentage.

Defensive Unit Helping Out

While Jack Runkel has picked up three conference awards this year, much of the credit can also go to the defensive unit as a whole. Opponents have taken 216 total shots while Runkel has been in goal this year, but just 124 have been on goal.

In all, opponents have managed just 152 shots on goal against the Greyhounds this year. Loyola is holding opponents to a .260 shot percentage, 11th best in the nation.

Causing Miscues

Loyola’s defense is fourth in Division I in caused turnovers per game, averaging 9.7 a contest. Four Greyhounds – Scott Ratliff (2.1), Reid Acton (1.3), Joe Fletcher and Dylan Grimm (both 1.1) – are averaging more than one per game. Ratliff ranks 11th in Division I in the category.

Close Call

Loyola’s 8-7 victory on March 31 against Ohio State marked the first time this year that the Greyhounds have 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.

Ten Or More Streak Snapped

The Greyhounds had scored at least 11 goals in each of their first eight games of the 2012 season, marking the longest stretch of games with 10 or more goals they have put together since March 24-May 12, 2001. Ohio State, however, held Loyola to just eight goals.

New Feeling

Loyola was outshot for the first time this season against Ohio State, as the Buckeyes tallied 33 shots to the Greyhounds’ 27.

Ohio State, however, managed to put just 15 shots on goal, and goalkeeper Jack Runkel made saves on eight.

Loyola, meanwhile, had 20 shots on goal, a season-best 74-percent of its overall shots. Previously, Loyola had outshot opponents by a minimum of nine in the first eight games of the year.

Acton Draws Recognition

Junior defender Reid Acton was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording five ground balls and a career-best five caused turnovers against Ohio State.

Acton’s primary marking responsibility against the Buckeyes was leading scorer Logan Schuss who entered the game averaging 3+ goals and 4+ points per game. Acton limited him to two goals and an assist, and his final goal came with just nine seconds left and Loyola leading by three.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its first 10 games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 20 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.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just five times this year, with the most recent coming when Fairfield scored five unanswered. Only the Stags (five) and Air Force (four) have scored more than three in a row this year.

Every time an opponent has logged those runs, Loyola has answered in kind with a run of 4-0 or better.

Lusby, Ratliff Join 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 27 goals and 35 points, while Ratliff paces the team in caused turnovers with 17, and his 39 ground balls are tied for the team lead.

Second-Half Success

Loyola continued a trend of strong second-half play this season by outscoring Fairfield, 4-2, in the fourth quarter

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 37-12 in the third quarters of games and 67-33 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.

Lusby Matches Career-High

Eric Lusby scored three times during Loyola’s second half run and finished the Georgetown game with five goals, matching his career-high set on March 3 at Bellarmine. He followed that with his fifth hat trick of the season, scoring three at UMBC.

Lusby has scored at least one goal in each of Loyola’s eight games this season. The graduate student returned to game action in the season-opener after missing all but two games of the 2011 season. Now a graduate student, Lusby tore his right ACL in the 2010 NCAA First Round game against Cornell. He attempted to come back last year, but he saw limited action against Navy and Towson and was shut down to rehab the injury for the remainder of the season.

Lusby burst back onto the scene against Delaware, scoring the Greyhounds’ first goal of the game on an extra-man opportunity, and the 2010 All-ECAC First Team member tallied three more in the second half.

Lusby reset his career-high at Bellarmine, tallying five goals in the victory to go with one assist, and added two more at Michigan.

Through Loyola’s first eight games, Lusby is second on the team with 27 goals and 35 points.

Sawyer, Runkel Honored Again

For the second time this season, Mike Sawyer and Jack Runkel earned ECAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors on the same day, as the pair was honored on Monday following the Greyhounds’ wins over Georgetown and UMBC.

Sawyer scored three goals against the Hoyas, and he then scored four-straight Loyola goals and finished with five at UMBC. Sawyer also matched his career-best with two assists against the Retrievers.

Runkel paced the Loyola defense in the two games, playing to a 5.50 goals against average. He made a career-best 13 saves in the win over UMBC.

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.

Sawyer Shows Same Form

Mike Sawyer has picked up where he left off a year ago, leading the team with 29 goals and 36 points through the first eight games. Sawyer led Loyola last season with 31 goals and 38 points.

Sawyer tied a then-career-high with five goals in the team’s, 15-8, win at Michigan, before scoring a new personal-best six goals against Duke.

After scoring five goals against UMBC, he now has 16 career multi-goal games and the 19 multi-point effort of his tenure at Loyola.

Before the season, Sawyer was named to the Preseason All-ECAC Team and was named to the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America Honorable Mention. He also was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

Ratliff Honored For Second Time

Loyola long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week on March 19 after turning in impressive numbers in a win over Air Force. Ratliff scored twice and had an assist while picking up seven ground balls against the Falcons. Earlier this season, Ratliff earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week laurels after the Greyhounds’ opener against Delaware.

Ratliff is currently sixth among active long poles in career scoring. He has seven goals and five assists for 12 points. This year, he has three goals and two assists, as well as a team-leading 32 ground balls.

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

The Greyhounds wrap up their three-game road trip with an excursion on April 21 to Geneva, N.Y., where they will wrap up ECAC play with a 12 noon game at Hobart.

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland sophomore goalkeeper Jack Runkel was named the ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, the conference office announced this afternoon.

Runkel made 12 saves on 18 shots on goal Saturday as the fourth-ranked Greyhounds rallied to defeat No. 14 Fairfield University, 8-6, on the road in league action. Playing in his hometown of Fairfield, Conn., Runkel posted a .667 save percentage, allowing just six goals in the game.

He made several tough stops, highlighted by a save on a John Snellman shot from inside five yards when Snellman came off a screen and was open with the Stags trailing by just one goal with less than five minutes left in regulation.

Runkel made the save and helped clear the ball, setting up Loyola’s eighth goal, an insurance tally that came from Sean O’Sullivan.

The Loyola goalkeeper has won three of the seven ECAC Defensive Player of the Week awards this season and is the only player to be honored multiple times. Two other Loyola players – Scott Ratliff and Reid Acton – have won the award, making Loyola 5-of-7 in the category this year.

In nine games this season, seven starts, Runkel has posted a 7.10 goals against average and .565 saves percentage.

As a unit, the Loyola defense is ranked fifth in Division I with a 7.00 goals allowed per game. The Greyhounds are the only team in thecountry who have not allowed more than eight goals in a game this season and one of just three that have held all of their opponents to 10 or fewer.

Loyola (10-0 overall, 4-0 ECAC) continues its three-game road trip on Saturday, April 14, when it travels to Denver University for a 7 o’clock (Mountain Time) game.

The UMBC men’s lacrosse team will try to move to 2-0 in America East play when they travel to Burlington, Vt. to take on the Vermont Catamounts. UMBC (3-5, 1-0) opened league play with a 16-12 victory over defending league champion Hartford last Saturday, while Vermont (1-8, 0-1) fell at Stony Brook, 13-5. The opening face-off is set for 1:00 p.m. from Virtue Field.

SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS

UMBC was unable to win back-to-back games for the first time in 2012 when they let an 11-8 fourth quarter lead slip away, and fell at No. 19 Towson, 12-11 on April 3.

Junior attackman Joe Lustgarten smashed career highs with five goals and eight total points, in the win over Hartford and was named America East Conference Player of the Week for his effort vs. the Hawks. He followed up with a career-best four assists at Towson and now has a team-high 15 helpers on the season.

UMBC was listed as “Receiving Votes” in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll as of April 2, 2012.

The 16 goals scored by UMBC is a season high and the most since opening the 2011 campaign with 16 goals at Presbyterian. The 28 goals scored by the two squads are the most in a UMBC contest since a 15-13 loss at North Carolina in the 2009 NCAA Tournament contest.

Junior attackman Scott Jones scored four goals vs. Hartford and Towson and leads the Retrievers with 22 goals and 26 points. He has scored in 14 consecutive games and has multiple points in 13 of those contests.

Entering the week, junior goalkeeper Adam Cohen led America East and was sixth in the nation with 12.29 saves per game.

UMBC is 15-6 in America East road contests in eight previous league seasons. The Retrievers have not opened at 2-0 in league play since 2009.

SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS

Vermont dropped its only game of the week at Stony Brook 13-5 in the America East opener for both teams.  Junior Drew Philie paced the Catamounts with a hat trick, while senior Geoff Worley added a goal and an assist. Worley is Vermont’s leader with 25 points (11g, 14a).

Vermont went 2-for-3 with a man advantage vs. the Seawolves and are 15-of-41 (36.1 percent) on the season. Phillie has scored seven man-up goals in 2012.

For Philie it marked the 12th time in his career that he has scored three or more goals in a game, which rank as the 10th most in the nation among non-seniors.  He, who leads Vermont with 17 goals in 2012, has also scored a point in 29 straight games which is the 13th longest active streak in the country.

The Catamounts have only scored 13 goals in the first quarter in nine games to date. They have also struggled on face-offs, winning only 36.1 percent.

THE SERIES

UMBC has won all eight previous meetings with Vermont, but the last two meetings have been decided by a single goal. The Retrievers triumphed, 9-8, at UMBC Stadium last season and  8-7 in overtime in Burlington in 2010. Jones scored three goals, added two assists and recorded the game-winning goal with 41 seconds remaining as the host Retrievers nipped Vermont in 2011.

UP NEXT

UMBC returns home to face Stony Brook at UMBC Stadium on Sat., April 14. The opening face-off is set for 7:05 p.m.

Opening Face-Off Riding a five-game winning streak, the 19th-ranked Towson men’s lacrosse team travels to second-ranked and undefeated UMass on Saturday. The Tigers (7-3, 2-0 CAA) will be seeking their third consecutive road win, while the Minutemen (9-0, 2-0 CAA) will look to remain unblemished at home in six games. The battle of CAA heavyweights is set for 1 p.m. and all the action can be heard live on WNST-AM 1570 with Spiro Morekas and Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
The Tigers have won back-to-back games with thrilling fourth quarter comebacks. Just four days after erasing a 9-3 fourth quarter deficit and winning in double overtime at Hofstra, Towson scored the final four goals of the game to upend UMBC, 12-11, Wednesday night at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium. Junior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage was a rock in the cage for the Tigers on Wednesday, registering a career-high 17 saves. Wascavage has made 86 saves this season while boasting a 9.15 goals-against-average and a .544 save percentage. Five Tigers have scored at least 10 goals this season, led by Sean Maguire’s 17. Sophomore Thomas DeNapoli, who has 10 points in his last two games, leads the Tigers with 25 points on 15 goals and a team-high 10 assists this season. Junior Matt Hughes (13), senior Matt Lamon (12) and senior Carl Iacona (10) have also scored double-digit goals this year.

Scouting the Minutemen
UMass is ranked No. 2 in both the Nike/InsideLacrosse Media Poll and the USILA Coaches Poll. The Minutemen are also receiving first place votes in each poll – 5 of 20 in the media poll and 2 of 10 in the coaches poll. At 9-0, the Minutemen are joined by just Loyola as the only remaining unbeaten teams in the country. UMass ranks fifth nationally in scoring offense (12.8 goals per game) and third nationally in defense (6.6 goals allowed per game). CAA and NEILA Player of the Week Will Manny is the nation’s fifth-leading scorer with 3.22 goals per game. He also ranks second nationally with 5.3 points per game and 8th nationally with 2.1 assists per game. Goalie Tim McCormack ranks second nationally in save percentage (.633) and third in goals-against average (6.35).

Towson-UMass Series History
Saturday’s game will be just the fifth all-time meeting between Towson and UMass. The two programs met in 1963, but then did not play again until 2010. The squads will be playing for the fourth time since 2010 when they battle on Saturday. The all-time series is tied 2-2 and this will be just the second matchup in Amherst. Towson won the only meeting at Garber Field, 10-9, on April 10, 2010. The Minutemen were victorious last season, 9-8, in overtime at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium.

Game Data

The Greyhounds embark on a three-game roadtrip that will take them from Connecticut to Colorado in ECAC Lacrosse League action when they play at 1 o’clock on Saturday, April 7, at Fairfield University.

Series History

Loyola and the Stags will meet for the 14th time when they face-off on Lessing Field Saturday. The Greyhounds hold an 11-2 lead in the all-time series, but the teams split two meetings last year with Loyola winning, 7-6, in overtime during the regular-season, but Fairfield picking up a 10-9 decision in the ECAC Semifinals in Denver.

In The Polls

Loyola checked in at No. 4 for the second week in a row in the USILA Coaches’ Poll this week, and the Greyhounds moved up one spot in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media rankings to No. 4. The coaches’ poll mark is Loyola’s highest ranking since it checked in at third in the April 1, 2002, poll with a 7-0 record after downing Towson, 15-7.

Fairfield, meanwhile, is ranked 14th in both the USILA and Inside Lacrosse polls.

Close Call

Loyola’s 8-7 victory last Saturday against Ohio State marked the first time this year that the Greyhounds have 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.

Ten Or More Streak Snapped

The Greyhounds had scored at least 11 goals in each of their first eight games of the 2012 season, marking the longest stretch of games with 10 or more goals they have put together since March 24-May 12, 2001. Ohio State, however, held Loyola to just eight goals when the teams met last Saturday.

New Feeling

Loyola was outshot for the first time this season on Saturday against Ohio State, as the Buckeyes tallied 33 shots to the Greyhounds’ 27.

Ohio State, however, managed to put just 15 shots on goal, and goalkeeper Jack Runkel made saves on eight.

Loyola, meanwhile, had 20 shots on goal, a season-best 74-percent of its overall shots.

Previously, Loyola had outshot opponents by a minimum of nine in the first eight games of the year.

Acton Draws Recognition

Junior defender Reid Acton was named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after recording five ground balls and a career-best five caused turnovers last Saturday against Ohio State.

Acton’s primary marking responsibility against the Buckeyes was leading scorer Logan Schuss who entered the game averaging 3+ goals and 4+ points per game. Acton limited him to two goals and an assist, and his final goal came with just nine seconds left and Loyola leading by three.

Near The Top Of The Rankings

While Loyola had its season-low total of eight goals on Saturday against Ohio State, the Greyhounds’ defense played nearly to its season average by allowing just seven goals.

As of this Monday, Loyola is ranked sixth in NCAA Division I with an average of 7.11 goals allowed per game. The Greyhounds slipped to ninth (from a tie for fifth last week) in scoring offense, as they are now averaging 12.44 goals per game through nine contests.

Loyola is second nationally in scoring margin (+5.33), just behind Massachusetts (+6.22).

Sharing The Rock

No Loyola player has more than 6 assists (Justin Ward) through nine games, but nine players have at least four assists, and 14 have two or more. In addition to Ward’s 6, Sean O’Sullivan has nine, Davis Butts and Eric Lusby have eight, Mike Sawyer has seven, Chris Layne checks in with six, and Nikko Pontrello has five and J.P. Dalton and Pat Byrnes have four each.

With 78 assists this season, the Greyhounds lead Division I with 8.78 per game.

Ward Distributes

Justin Ward posted three assists in the win over Ohio State, two off his career-high of five set earlier this season against Towson. He now leads the team with 16 assists and is third with 20 points.

Ward also tallied a big goal for the Greyhounds, coming around screens by Mike Sawyer and Sean O’Sullivan to rip a seven-yard shot that put Loyola ahead 7-5 late.

More Than Last Year

This year’s team has already eclipsed last year’s total of 62 assists in just eight games. The Greyhounds’ 112 goals this season are already more than the 110 the 2011 team put up in 13 games a year ago.

Big Runs

Loyola used runs of three-plus goals at important junctures of its first nine games, helping the Greyhounds to wins each time. In all, Loyola has scored three or more in a row on 18 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.

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.

On The Flip Side

Conversely, the Greyhounds have allowed a run of three or more goals just four times this year, the most recent coming when Ohio State tallied three unanswered in the second quarter last Saturday to go up 3-2. Only one team (Air Force) has scored four in a row.

Every time an opponent has logged those runs, Loyola has answered in kind with a run of 4-0 or better.

Lusby, Ratliff Join Tewaaraton Watch List

On Wednesday, 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 27 goals and 35 points, while Ratliff paces the team in caused turnovers with 17, and his 39 ground balls are tied for the team lead.

Second-Half Success

Loyola continued a trend of strong second-half play this season by outscoring Ohio State, 3-0, in the third quarter.

The Greyhounds have now outscored opponents 37-10 in the third quarters of games and 63-29 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.

Lusby Matches Career-High

Eric Lusby scored three times during Loyola’s second half run and finished the Georgetown game with five goals, matching his career-high set on March 3 at Bellarmine. He followed that with his fifth hat trick of the season, scoring three at UMBC.

Lusby has scored at least one goal in each of Loyola’s eight games this season. The graduate student returned to game action in the season-opener after missing all but two games of the 2011 season. Now a graduate student, Lusby tore his right ACL in the 2010 NCAA First Round game against Cornell. He attempted to come back last year, but he saw limited action against Navy and Towson and was shut down to rehab the injury for the remainder of the season.

Lusby burst back onto the scene against Delaware, scoring the Greyhounds’ first goal of the game on an extra-man opportunity, and the 2010 All-ECAC First Team member tallied three more in the second half.

Lusby reset his career-high at Bellarmine, tallying five goals in the victory to go with one assist, and added two more at Michigan.

Through Loyola’s first eight games, Lusby is second on the team with 27 goals and 35 points.

Sawyer, Runkel Honored Again

For the second time this season, Mike Sawyer and Jack Runkel earned ECAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors on the same day, as the pair was honored on Monday following the Greyhounds’ wins over Georgetown and UMBC.

Sawyer scored three goals against the Hoyas, and he then scored four-straight Loyola goals and finished with five at UMBC. Sawyer also matched his career-best with two assists against the Retrievers.

Runkel paced the Loyola defense in the two games, playing to a 5.50 goals against average. He made a career-best 13 saves in the win over UMBC.

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.

Sawyer Shows Same Form

Mike Sawyer has picked up where he left off a year ago, leading the team with 29 goals and 36 points through the first eight games. Sawyer led Loyola last season with 31 goals and 38 points.

Sawyer tied a then-career-high with five goals in the team’s, 15-8, win at Michigan, before scoring a new personal-best six goals against Duke.

After scoring five goals against UMBC, he now has 16 career multi-goal games and the 19 multi-point effort of his tenure at Loyola.

Before the season, Sawyer was named to the Preseason All-ECAC Team and was named to the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America Honorable Mention. He also was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

Dominant At The ‘X’

In his first year as the Greyhounds’ primary face-off man, senior J.P. Dalton has continued Loyola’s tradition of excellence at the ‘X’.

Through eight games, Dalton ranks eighth nationally in face-off percentage, winning restarts at a .620 clip (124-of-200). As a unit, the Greyhounds entered the week fourth-best in the nation at .612.

Dalton is tied for the team lead with 39 ground balls with one of his primary wings, Scott Ratliff. Josh Hawkins, who returned from injury to make his season-debut on March 10 against Duke, has 24 in five games, and Pat Laconi has 15. Davis Butts has also seen time on the wing and has 23 ground balls this season.

Ratliff Honored For Second Time

Loyola long-stick midfielder Scott Ratliff was named the ECAC Co-Specialist of the Week on Monday after turning in impressive numbers in last Saturday’s win over Air Force. Ratliff scored twice and had an assist while picking up seven ground balls against the Falcons.

Earlier this season, Ratliff earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week laurels after the Greyhounds’ opener against Delaware.

Ratliff is currently sixth among active long poles in career scoring. He has seven goals and five assists for 12 points. This year, he has three goals and two assists, as well as a team-leading 32 ground balls.

Sawyer, Runkel Earn ECAC Honors

Mike Sawyer and Jack Runkel were honored as ECAC Lacrosse Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week on March 12 following wins at Michigan and against Duke.

Sawyer scored 11 goals and had 14 points, setting career highs in both categories. He scored five goals and had six points in Michigan’s first-ever home game, before breaking those personal records with six goals and eight points in a win over Duke. He also picked up a career-high six ground balls, finishing the week with nine ground balls.

Runkel made the first two starts of his collegiate career, posting an 8.00 goals-against average and .515 save percentage to help the Greyhounds in two wins. Playing less than three minutes between the pipes as a freshman last season, he started the Michigan game and held the Wolverines to eight goals, while making five saves. He then made a career-high 12 saves against a Duke team that has played in the last five Final Fours.

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 continues its stretch of road games with a 7 o’clock (Mountain) game at Denver on Saturday, April 14.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – In just his second game back from injury, Stevenson men’s lacrosse senior Justin Lea (Elkridge, Md./Mount Saint Joseph) scored a career-high four goals while the defense held its opponent to five goals or less for eighth time this season in a 14-5 victory Wednesday at Mustang Stadium.

The win was the fifth-straight for Stevenson (10-2, 5-0 CAC) who won its 17th consecutive CAC contest dating back to Apr. 7, 2010. It was also the seventh in as many games at home for the Mustangs this season and moved them into sole possession of first place in the CAC standings, one game ahead of rival Salisbury.

In two games since returning from a broken hand, Lea has totaled six goals and seven points versus Hood and St. Mary’s (Md.). He scored three of the Mustangs’ first seven goals, netting his third with 10:03 remaining in the second quarter to give Stevenson a 7-2 lead.

Freshman Stephen Banick (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic) scored the first of his two goals just eight seconds later as the Mustangs
led by six before taking an 8-3 advantage into halftime.

Stevenson held a 32-7 edge in shots at the half and a 53-22 margin for the game.

Senior Nick Rossi (Lutherville, Md./Towson) scored the first of back-to-back goals only 18 seconds into the third quarter with a man
advantage that jump started a second half in which Stevenson outscored the Seahawks 6-2, including 4-1 in the third quarter.

Sophomore and reigning CAC Player of the Week Chris Dashiell (Salisbury, Md./Parkside) picked up the second of his three assists on
the goal by Rossi as he now has a team-high 20 assists this season. During the team’s five-game win streak, Dashiell has totaled 22 points and 15 assists.

A total of 11 different players scored for the Mustangs, including freshman Sam Wyatt (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood) who netted his first career goal to start the second quarter.

Defensively, junior Kyle Holechek (Reisterstown, Md./Loyola Blakefield) totaled six ground balls and three caused turnovers while
juniors Kyle Fendlay (Westminster, Md./Winters Mill) and Parker Bratton (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) each had three ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Senior Ian Bolland (Mountain Lakes, N.J./Mountain Lakes) and freshman Kevin Cain (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point) each had four saves.

Stewart D’Ambrogi had a goal and an assist for the Seahawks (7-4, 4-1 CAC) while Patrick Mull finished with two assists. Stu Wheeler made 19 saves.

Stevenson hosts No. 8 Denison on Saturday at Mustang Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

The UMBC men’s lacrosse team (3-4) plays its final non-conference game of the season when they visit local foe No. 19 Towson (6-3) on Wednesday, April 4 at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The opening face-off is scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m.

SCOUTING THE RETRIEVERS

Junior attackman Joe Lustgarten smashed career highs with five goals and eight total points, leading host UMBC to a 16-12 victory over Hartford in the America East Conference opener for both squads. Lustgarten was named America East Conference Player of the Week for his effort vs. the Hawks.

UMBC was listed as “Receiving Votes” in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.

The 16 goals scored by UMBC is a season high and the most since opening the 2011 campaign with 16 goals at Presbyterian. The 28 goals scored by the two squads are the most in a UMBC contest since a 15-13 loss at North Carolina in the 2009 NCAA Tournament contest.

Junior attackman Scott Jones scored four goals vs. Hartford and leads the Retrievers with 18 goals and 21 points. He has scored in 13 consecutive games and has multiple points in 12 of those contests.

Lustgarten leads the squad with 11 assists and is second with 18 points.

Junior goalkeeper Adam Cohen leads America East with and is sixth in the nation with 12.29 saves per game. He has 44 stops in his last three outings.

UMBC has only allowed four man-up goals this season in 17 opponent opportunities. The Retrievers hit on a season-high four of five extra-man chances vs. Hartford on March 31.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

Riding a four-game winning streak and coming off the largest fourth quarter comeback in the 53-year history of the program, the Towson men’s lacrosse team has broken into the national rankings this week. The Tigers (6-3, 2-0 CAA) find themselves ranked No. 19 in this week’s Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. It’s the first time Towson has been ranked since checking in at No. 20 in the May 3, 2010 poll.

Freshman Justin Mabus scored the game-winning goal off a pass from senior Matt Lamon with 38 seconds left in the second overtime period as Towson pulled off a stunning 10-9 Colonial Athletic Association comeback victory over No. 20 Hofstra University (4-5, 1-2) at Shuart Stadium on Saturday night. The Tigers’ victory capped off a frantic rally in which they erased a 9-3 deficit in the final 11:27 of the game.

The Tigers and Retrievers both have losses to Loyola and Johns Hopkins. TU posted a 10-9 win at Stony Brook, UMBC’s foe on April 14.

Towson is ranked third in the nation in man-up offense, hitting at 54.2 percent (13-of-24) and third in shooting percentage at 36.7 percent.

Senior attackman Sean Maguire leads the Tigers with 16 goals and is tied with sophomore midfielder Thomas DeNapoli with 21 points.

THE SERIES

Towson is UMBC’s most-played foe with 42 previous series meetings. Maryland is second with 35 contests. The Tigers lead the overall series, 27-15, but UMBC has won four of the last five and eight of 15 contests since 1997.

UMBC never trailed in last season’s 10-9 victory over the Tigers at UMBC Stadium. Rob Grimm had three goals and two assists and Ryan Johnston added a pair of goals.

Rob Grimm had five goals and five helpers in the 2009 and 2011 games vs. Towson at UMBC Stadium, but did not score vs. TU in the 2010 loss at Unitas Stadium. Adam Cohen, then in his freshman season,  made 12 saves in that game, a 10-7 Tiger victory. Scott Jones scored a goal in that game as a freshman and added a pair of assists in the UMBC victory in 2011.

UP NEXT: UMBC resumes America East play at Vermont on Sat., April 7. The opening face-off is set for 1:00 p.m.