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The disappointment of falling short of a Patriot League title and the NCAA tournament a year ago is enough to fuel any team’s fury the following season. For Loyola, a pair of early stumbles to their self-proclaimed “revenge tour” could leave them disheartened and lacking confidence.

While moral victories count as losses officially, Loyola coach Jen Adams makes sure to note them “learned wins.”

Loyola’s learned win at Florida, a heartbreaking 17-16 overtime defeat against the now-ranked No. 4 Gators on Feb. 25, translated into a 16-15 extra session “earned win” at Penn State on Saturday.

“I don’t look at it like a loss,” Adams said. “We almost beat [Florida]. We blew it at the end, but we figured it out against Penn State.”

Before the Greyhounds could take on the likes of Florida or Penn State, they had to come to grips with what ended their 2017 campaign.

“Losing in the Patriot League final, and not making the NCAA tournament, it has to fuel them,” Adams said. “Navy was such a great side. It was an eye-opener. It was [our players'] fuel to get them ready over break and prepare for something special this year.

“It can be misconstrued that we’re throwing around the thought of a revenge season. It’s a revenge tour for ourselves, for Loyola, to light the fire for us.”

Down seven goals with 24 minutes to play, it would have been easy to pack it in and head back to Baltimore with another missed opportunity, but the Greyhounds stuck with a positive approach.

“I said to the girls, ‘Let’s take care of the little things,'” Adams said. “One more good play, one at a time, and that we could claw our way back in.’”

The clawing began with two goals in 13 seconds, which turned into a 6-0 spurt in less than 10 minutes to cut the deficit to one. Eventually, the ‘Hounds would even the score at 14 on Hannah Powers’ second goal of the game. Nevertheless, Penn State would regain the lead.

Although the offense brought them back in it, it was Loyola’s defense that helped flip the script. Patriot League preseason defensive player of the year Kristen Yanchoris forced a turnover with a minute left and Loyola’s unsung hero Madison Fahey scooped up the ball that led to the tying goal to force overtime.

“[Madison] brings an intensity and energy to our team,” Adams said “They’re such a good duo. They have different styles but complement each other so well with their personalities.”

Powers would deliver the game-winner that eluded the Greyhounds the previous week, exhibiting the calm and confidence that led the balanced attack.

“That’s the biggest difference for us this year,” said Adams of her team’s ability to spread the scoring. “We have a lot of weapons. When you can share the load it takes the pressure off any one individual. It’s lets the game come to them. With the shackles off, they can figure it out, find the next scoring opportunity and play the kind of lacrosse that we like to play.”

Leading that calm into scoring fury was Taylor VanThof who netted four tallies, while Hannah Savage dished four assists. 

“[Taylor] was a force all over the field,” Adams said. “The way that she plays helps spur on some of the moments. Hannah is a similar player with quiet confidence. Having those types of people stepping up and reassuring the team is pivotal.”

While Loyola is 1-2, a lot has already been learned about the team’s mettle.

“We [the coaches] were talking about it the other day,” Adams said. “We’ve learned more about our team in three games than we do sometimes in a whole season. They’re a tough resilient group that believes in themselves, that they can beat the best teams in the country.”

THE WEEK THAT WAS:

Florida Solves UNC

Hayley Hicklen’s school-record 16 saves backstopped a dominating 17-10 victory for the Florida Gators at North Carolina on Saturday. She was named the Brine/US Lacrosse Player of the Week for her performance.

Stony Brook Stays Perfect, Sweeps Midwestern Swing

The Seawolves further cemented their No. 1 ranking with an all-around 15-10 victory at Northwestern. They never trailed and was led by Ally Kennedy’s four goals. 

Stony Brook then completed the Big Ten sweep with a dominating 16-3 win at Michigan on Monday. After falling behind 2-1 less than 12 minutes in, Stony Brook rattled off the next 15 goals. Kylie Ohlmiller scored four times.

Virginia 5-0 After ACC Win over Syracuse

The Cavaliers’ best start to a season since 2007 continued with a 17-16 win over Syracuse on Sunday. Maddie Behr had four goals, while she and Maggie Jackson combined to win 13 of Virginia’s 20 draw controls.

Stanford Dominates Duke, Polishes Off Perfect Weekend

The Cardinal dusted the Duke Blue Devils, 15-5, in Durham on Friday, led by 12 saves from goalie Allie DaCar. Stanford backed that performance up with a 17-10 win at Elon on Sunday for the Cardinal’s third straight victory. In those three victories, Stanford has racked up 53 goals.

The Mount, Hopkins Blank Opponents

The first shutouts of 2018 occurred last week as Mount St. Mary’s and Johns Hopkins accomplished the feat.

Last Wednesday, the Mountaineers won 16-0 over Presbyterian, the first shutout for The Mount since 2013 against Delaware State. Hopkins blanked Furman on Saturday, 19-0, the Blue Jays’ first shutout since 2009 against Fresno State.

Eagles Light the Scoreboard

Marquette and Niagara combined to score 38 goals in a Saturday barnburner as the Golden Eagles down the Purple Eagles, 23-15. The total goals at halftime (26) would have outscored 16 other full games played on Saturday. The two teams combined to shoot 54 percent (38-of-71).

Five different Marquette players tallied at least three goals led by Charlotte McGuire’s six, while Riley Hill had a game-high eight points (4g, 4a). Niagara’s Rachel MacCheyne matched Hill’s eight points (6g, 2a).

Unbeaten Watch

Just eight teams remain unbeaten, and all but one appears in this week’s Nike/US Lacrosse rankings:

No. 1 Stony Brook (5-0)
No. 2 James Madison (5-0)
No. 5 Boston College (7-0)
No. 6 Virginia (5-0)
No. 8 Towson (3-0)
No. 9 Penn (4-0)
No. 16 Yale (4-0)
Bryant (2-0)

Yale is 4-0 for the first time since 2014 after a 16-15 win against Harvard and Penn is 4-0 for the first time since 2015 with a victory at Cornell, 11-4. Bryant is the current leader in NCAA scoring defense (4.00 goals against per game). A pair of Ivy League foes await the Bulldogs (Brown on Wednesday, Harvard on Saturday).

THE WEEK TO COME:

Trojans Host High-Flying Eagles

The Women of Troy look to stymie Sam Apuzzo and the Eagles on Wednesday (6 p.m. ET) in Los Angeles. Apuzzo’s 4.86 goals per game is second only to Vanderbilt’s Kayla Peterson (5.25).

Orange Welcome Gators

Florida seeks its second straight ACC scalp when it travels to the Carrier Dome on Wednesday afternoon (2 p.m.). Syracuse has fallen to the Gators in the past two meetings (19-12 in 2017, 11-10 in 2016).

Loyola and Towson Square off on Wednesday

Both teams have won by a goal over Penn State in dramatic fashion. No. 19 Loyola is riding the momentum of Sunday, while No. 8 Towson has had an extended lay-off due to a postponement against Oregon. Opening draw is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Pac-12 Lacrosse is Here

The first official conference games in Pac-12 lacrosse history will commence Friday when Stanford visits Colorado (5 p.m. ET) and California heads to Oregon (9 p.m. ET). USC will host Arizona State on Saturday at 3 p.m. (ET) before California goes to Colorado (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET) and Stanford travels to Oregon (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET).

The Pac-12 will feature round-robin play with a six-team conference tournament to be played at Colorado (April 26-29).

The March issue of U.S. Lacrosse Magazine profiles the debut of Pac-12 lacrosse.