Loyola Controls Patriot League After 19-5 Win Over Army

BALTIMORE — There wasn’t a team around the country on Saturday that better embodied its mascot than the Loyola women’s lacrosse team.

Widely accepted as the fastest of dog breeds, Greyhounds go from a standstill to 45 miles an hour (on average) in seconds. Loyola was at something of standstill against upstart Patriot League foe Army at Ridley Athletic Complex, tied at 3 with the Black Knights through the game’s first nine minutes.

Goals were traded back and forth in the early going. It had the makings of tight finish with first place on the line in the conference. Then the Greyhounds hit top speed.

Jillian Wilson began her draw circle masterclass, and Loyola scored the next 10 goals in a 19-5 win that was perhaps mercilessly called with 8:29 remaining due to heavy storms.

BALTIMORE BEATDOWN. @LoyolaWLax up 15-4 on @ArmyWP_WLax at HALFTIME. pic.twitter.com/MUuisoSVMD

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) April 15, 2023

Wilson controlled 14 draws — Loyola had a 19-7 advantage in the circle — and produced five points (3 G/2 A). Sydni Black (2 G/4 A) and Georgia Latch (2 G/4 A) both had a game-high six points. Meg Hillman (5 G) and Chase Boyle (4 G) led the offense, and Katie Detwiler held Brigid Duffy, the Patriot League’s leading goal scorer entering play, without a shot on goal.

“At the beginning of every whistle, every possession starts with the draw,” Wilson said when asked about how Loyola (12-2, 6-0 Patriot) built its momentum. “[We all] take it possession by possession, and I think that is crucial to staying in the moment and focusing on that one play. We just focused on one at a time.”

Army (12-2, 6-1 Patriot), one of the nation’s biggest surprises in 2023, scored first and then tied the score at three a few minutes later. But that goal from Kathleen Sullivan would not only be Army’s last goal for awhile — it was also the Black Knights’ last meaningful possession.

Loyola dominated the middle of the field for the next 16-plus minutes, starting up a running clock on Emily Wills’ goal with 9:36 left in the first half and keeping Army off the board until Allison Reilly made it 13-4 with 4:47 left before the break.

Like their namesake, the Greyhounds play fast. The ball doesn’t stay in one player’s stick for very long, and everything is done at full speed. Take Wilson, for example. She’s lightning off the draw, either winning it herself or placing the ball in advantageous positions for her circle-mates. Offensively, she’s an exhaustive assignment for defenders. She’s just as active on defense, reacting to the whistle on opposing free position attempts to get a stick in the shooter’s face.

“For us, we go into every game respecting our opponents,” Latch said. “I feel like, no matter what the score is, we’re always playing to be the best that we can be.”

The speed was even more impressive considering the circumstances. Loyola made the 154-mile trip to Princeton on Wednesday to beat the Tigers 20-10. The Greyhounds didn’t slow down hosting arguably their toughest Patriot League competition just a few days later.

Proud of her team’s work, Adams didn’t let them off the hook, though. She made her players finish the final 8:29 on stationary bikes inside. “Backing up” performances and stacking consistent showings on top of each other is one of Adams’ main talking points, and Loyola proved its plenty capable of being a threat coming May.

“Last year, we graduated a very, very talented class,” Wilson said. “That goes without saying. We all knew that coming into this year, especially, that we’re going to have to figure out what’s going to work. … At the end of the day, we’re worried about what’s going on in our locker room.”