Tim Montgomery face-dodged underneath the Loyola defense and found an open lane. He fired home a bounce shot for his third goal of the game that lifted Towson to a 7-6 overtime upset of No. 13 Loyola.

A week after coughing up a late lead to lose to Delaware in overtime, the Tigers (3-5) prevailed this time against another top-20 opponent. 

TIM MONTGOMERY BALLGAME @Towson_MLAX pulls the 7-6 upset of @LoyolaMLAX in a defensive crosstown battle. pic.twitter.com/kYMrPf9NKE

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) March 27, 2021

Towson trailed 5-2 in the second half after a goal by Loyola’s Joey Kamish, but reeled off a 4-0 run that Montgomery punctuated with 3:15 left in the fourth quarter. The lead lasted just seven seconds, however, as Bailey Savio (12-for-16) kept the ball on a fast break he initiated and tied it at 6. 

3:08, 4Q | @LoyolaHounds 6, Towson 6.

Savio immediately ties it up, winning the faceoff and scoring his first of the season.

Towson
@LaxSportsNet https://t.co/Z3dAZGlYi5#gohounds #patriotmlax pic.twitter.com/wXrDuPziPf

— Loyola Men's Lax (@LoyolaMLAX) March 27, 2021

Montgomery, a redshirt junior attackman from Mount Laurel, N.J., registered his first points of the season last weekend against Delaware. Towson was missing two starters Saturday, attackman Brody McLean and midfielder Casey Wasserman.

“Timmy stepped up into a larger role and took advantage of his opportunities,” Tigers coach Shawn Nadelen said. “You could feel his confidence continue to build after the past couple weeks. He was a guy that was in a midfield role early on in the season and wasn’t playing well and got demoted and worked his way back up. He’s a resilient kid. He was kid we had to lean on a bit today with some of those guys out. He’s a good, skilled, hard-nosed player.”

Said Montgomery: “I just appreciate the opportunity the coaches have given me.”

Three of the Tigers’ eight games (two wins) have gone to overtime. Besides lopsided losses to Virginia and Duke, their other three defeats are by a combined four goals.

Loyola fell to 4-3. 

IERLAN PERFECT IN DENVER DEBUT

TD Ierlan last toed the midline in a collegiate game 385 days ago. Yet, the faceoff specialist who holds nearly every record showed little signs of rust Saturday despite the long layoff and the transition to a standing neutral grip.

The former Albany and Yale standout, who first practiced with Denver last weekend, looked as dominant as ever, going a perfect 14-for-14 in the Pioneers’ 19-11 win at Providence. 

“It’s been a pretty seamless transition,” Ierlan said earlier this week. 

TD IERLAN

for

Doing the math, that’s percent in his @DU_MLAX debut. pic.twitter.com/V9FPDOFYSj

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) March 27, 2021

Ierlan last compiled a clean sheet when he went 26-for-26 against Harvard on April 27, 2019.  

After Ethan Walker and Matt Grillo traded early goals, Denver reeled off a three-goal run to close the first quarter. The Pioneers didn’t look back. They led 12-4 at halftime and 19-7 with 6:27 to play in the four quarter. Alex Simmons (five goals, two assists) and Jackson Morrill (three goals, four assists) each tallied seven points and 10 different players scored. 

Providence’s Dan Axelson scored four goals in the loss. 

Alec Stathakis, who entered Saturday ranked 13th in Division I with a .644 faceoff percentage, also went 11-for-15 at the stripe for Denver. 

NOTABLE

• Playing for the first time in three weeks due to COVID-19 protocols, No. 4 Army did not miss a beat, defeating Holy Cross 13-3 on Saturday. The host Black Knights (4-1, 2-0 Patriot League) held the Crusaders (1-4, 0-3) scoreless for more than 42 minutes. Bobby Abshire scored three goals and Brendan Nichtern had five assists in the win.

• Playing without Tewaaraton candidate Jake Carraway, No. 10 Georgetown eked out an 8-7 win at Villanova. Jack Leary, a Villanova, Pa., native who starred at nearby Haverford School, scored his first collegiate goal at the most opportune time. The freshman’s tally with 1:16 remaining proved to be the game-winner. The Hoyas (6-1, 5-1 Big East) prevailed despite shooting 8-for-51. Goalie Will Vitton made 15 saves for the Wildcats (3-2, 3-2).

• No. 17 Ohio State swept its season series with rival Michigan, dominating the Wolverines 14-6 on Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Buckeyes (3-3) blew open the game in the second quarter, scoring seven unanswered goals. Tre Leclaire scored a game-high four goals. Michigan, which upset Penn State last week, fell to 1-5.

• No. 20 Bryant scored three straight goals to start the fourth quarter and then held on for an 11-10 victory Saturday over Merrimack. Mason Drouin and Isaiah Davis scored three goals each for the Bulldogs (4-1, 2-0 NEC). Kevin Groeninger had four assists. Tommy Rooney scored a game-high four goals in the loss for the Warriors (2-3, 1-2).

• Don’t sleep on Saint Joseph’s. After going winless in nonconference play, the Hawks are now 4-0 in the Northeast Conference after defeating Mount St. Mary’s 14-13 in overtime Saturday. Ryan Doran scooped up a loose ball in front of the cage and buried the game-winning goal just 55 seconds into overtime to win it. “I saw the ball pop out of the goalkeeper’s stick, and it fumbled around a bit and just found my stick,” Doran said. “It just put it away. It’s a great team win, and it feels awesome to be 4-0 in the league.”

• Stony Brook scored six first-quarter goals and pulled away with a game-ending four-goal run to defeat Albany 16-10 in a battle of preseason America East favorites. Five players scored at least two goals for the Seawolves (5-3, 3-1). Tehoka Nanticoke and Logan Tucker scored four goals apiece for the Great Danes (4-2, 2-2).

NIKE/US LACROSSE TOP 20

No. 4 Army 13, Holy Cross 3
No. 7 Virginia 12, No. 9 Notre Dame 11 (Recap)
No. 8 Denver 19, Providence 11
No. 10 Georgetown 8, Villanova 7
Towson 7, No. 13 Loyola 6 (OT)
No. 17 Ohio State 14, Michigan 6
No. 20 Bryant 11, Merrimack 10

OTHER SCORES

Air Force 8, Bellarmine 6
Boston University 13, Lafayette 9
Detroit Mercy 11, Siena 9
Drexel 19, Robert Morris 13
Jacksonville 18, VMI 12
LIU 18, Wagner 13
Marquette 10, Cleveland State 5
Mercer 15, Utah 10
NJIT 14, UMass Lowell 10
Quinnipiac 5, St. Bonaventure 4
Saint Joseph’s 14, Mount St. Mary’s 13 (OT)
Stony Brook 16, Albany 10
UMBC 7, Binghamton 6

Sacred Heart at Hobart, PPD
Canisius at Marist, PPD