Charley Toomey says Loyola thrives on chaos. It provided the exclamation point in Saturday’s swath of chaotic upsets, but to be able to beat defending champion and second-ranked Maryland 12-7 at Ridley Athletic Complex, Loyola actually had to dial back the disorder.
“They were not able to get easy goals coming from the X,” Toomey said. “We made them settle into a 6-on-6 game today. And then after a save by [Maryland goalie Logan] McNaney, we had to take their poles away. We didn’t want them to start running and create an up-tempo game.”
Saturday was Maryland’s first loss since the 2021 championship game and first regular-season loss since a loss to Villanova on Feb. 18, 2020. The five-goal deficit was tied for their biggest defeat in the last 10 years. Hat tip to The Crosse Commission for digging into the history there.
Against Maryland, when it rains, it pours. At least it did last spring, when the Terps mostly steamrolled their way to an undefeated season and a national title. But Loyola intentionally slowed the pace, holding Maryland to just four first-half goals while taking a 5-4 lead into the half.
Daniel Maltz tied the score at 5 just a few minutes into the second half, but Loyola executed at peak efficiency with its own offense. The Greyhounds scored seven goals on 10 shots. Possessions are valuable against the Terps, even with this new look group, and Loyola made sure to cash in when it could. Maryland held an 18-4 faceoff advantage, making it so Loyola cherished its possession even more.
“We actually want to push the tempo,” Toomey said. “We’d prefer to make clean saves and run. We embrace the chaos. But you’ve gotta be smart.”
It helps when the defense plays at the caliber it did Saturday. Luke Staudt made 19 saves, and Toomey praised a defense that forced Maryland into low percentage shots for most of the afternoon.
Loyola was balanced offensively, utilizing seven goal scorers. Evan James produced a hat trick, while Henry Haberman, Matthew Minicus and Adam Poitras all scored twice.
Toomey, already looking ahead despite a massive win, underscored the importance of consistency.
“It’s how we handle success,” he said. “We’re a young team, an emotional team, and we know we’ve got a bear on our hands in Johns Hopkins. How will we practice?”
DOLPHINS DEFENSE LOCKS DOWN LATE
For the second February in a row — and nearly to the day — Jacksonville has taken down Duke. Last year was in Durham, but this time, the Dolphins hosted the Blue Devils at Rock Stadium and were sturdy down the stretch.
Jacksonville held No. 7 Duke scoreless for the final 12:22 after the Blue Devils went down by just one goal and hung on for a 13-12 win — certainly a nice recovery after falling to Johns Hopkins at home in the season opener last weekend.
A seesaw of a game, Jacksonville trailed 9-5 at halftime before depositing seven goals in the third quarter. A spurt of six straight, powered by two goals apiece from Jack Taylor and Bryce Wojnovich, turned a 10-6 deficit into a 12-10 lead. Dyson Williams made it 12-11 with 52 seconds left in the third.
The fourth-quarter scoring happened early. Ethan Lamond put the Dolphins (1-1) up 13-11 with 12:54 left, then Williams scored again for Duke (2-1) 32 seconds later.
Duke took just three more shots the entire game, all wide of cage. Andrew McAdorey turned it over with 12 seconds left, sealing Jacksonville’s win.
