Loyola Outlasts Navy in Epic Patriot League Final

Loyola’s domination of the Patriot League can easily be demonstrated by a look at the numbers. Since joining the league in 2014, the Greyhounds have gone a perfect, and staggering, 84-0 in regular season conference games. The postseason has yielded similar results with Loyola winning seven of the nine league tournaments during that time frame entering the weekend.

But on Saturday, Navy was very much Loyola’s equal before the Greyhounds gutted out a 12-11 overtime victory against the Mids on Georgia Latch’s game-winner for their fifth straight Patriot League championship.

GEORGIA LATCH LOW ANGLE.@LoyolaWLax WINS IN OVERTIME.

Loyola gets past Navy to win the @PatriotLeague in a classic. pic.twitter.com/4E4HfvJiWQ

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 4, 2024

Nothing came easy on Saturday for either squad. Everything was contested, both goalies made clutch saves, neither team led by more than two goals and when crunch time came, the biggest stars stepped up.

Three straight goals by Navy to close the third quarter – from Emily Messinese, Mikayla Williams and Emma Kennedy – gave the Mids a 9-8 lead entering the final quarter.

Loyola’s Sydni Black buried back-to-back goals in the upper right corner of the goal just 12 seconds apart to give Loyola the lead back and then Chase Boyle’s 80th goal of the season with 7:46 left gave Loyola an 11-9 cushion.

Navy, the only team to beat Loyola in Patriot League play with wins in the 2017 and 2018 league championship games, had another push. Messinese scored the game’s next two goals, tying it 11-11 with 2:41 to play.

Navy’s Alyssa Daley, who had an epic battle all day on the draw circle with Boyle, won the ensuing draw, but Loyola goalie Lauren Spence came up with a save to set up a final possession for the Greyhounds. Loyola failed to get a shot off as Jaclyn Johns stripped Black with 15 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.

Boyle directed the draw in overtime to Latch who was fouled as she carried the ball towards the restraining line. Navy was hit with a 1-minute green card, but Loyola did not score on the extra-player advantage. However, soon after the penalty expired, Latch netted the game-winner as she ran down the right alley despite Navy goalie Felicia Giglio getting a piece of the shot with her stick.

Black and Boyle each had four goals and an assist for Loyola (17-2) and Latch had a goal and two assists. Spence made nine saves.

Messinese led Navy (15-4) with five goals and Emma Kennedy had three goals and two assists. Daley won 10 draws as the teams finished tied with 13 each. Giglio made 10 saves for Navy.