When freshmen Pat Spencer and Jacob Stover arrived on Loyola's campus before the 2016 season, it was hard to envision the type impact that each would have on the program. Sure, Spencer had the makings of a talented, imposing attackman and Stover was the future of the goalie position.

The Greyhounds got a glimpse of the potential of the two freshmen during their final four run, where Spencer played a role on the offense and Stover logged critical minutes en route to Lincoln Financial Field. Still, each had room to grow after successful campaigns.

Now a full three years after each made his debut at Ridley Athletic Complex, Spencer and Stover are the leaders coach Charlie Toomey had hoped for when they entered his program. It’s an encouraging sign for a Loyola team that has another trip to Philadelphia in its plans.

Spencer, the Warrior/US Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Player of the Year, played up to expectations in Loyola’s 17-9 season-opening victory over Virginia at Ridley on Saturday afternoon. He scored five times and added two assists, regularly finding holes in the Cavaliers defense and attacking one-on-one matchups all game.

Stover provided the spark at the other end of the field, making 18 saves — one off his career-high of 19 saves recorded in his final game of 2018 against Yale.

It was a complete performance by Loyola, but the formula for success started with the two seniors. 

“You have a leader that’s composed, that sees the defense and takes what they give him and gets guys to the right spots in Pat,” Toomey said. “And then defensively when there’s a breakdown, that Jacob can steal one — that allows you to have a little bit of a comfort level on the sideline, for sure.”

Stover’s saves energized the Loyola defense, and it translated to an offense that overpowered Virginia. The gameplan may have looked simple, but the Greyhounds worked it to perfection.

“We just focused on every time that the ball comes down to us, make a stop and get the ball up and out and give it back to Pat,” Stover joked. “Then, he’ll put the ball in the back of the net.”

For Spencer, a seven-point performance is nothing new. In the first game of his senior year (although a potential season of basketball awaits), he proved an insurmountable challenge for the Virginia defense. Spencer held the ball in his stick much of the day, attacking often and finding teammates like sophomore Kevin Lindley, who finished his five goals himself, for open looks.

And when he scored, it was of the highlight-reel fashion. He opened the game with a two-handed shovel shot, and added his second after backing down Cade Saustad and leaping past a slide for the goal.

The three-time USILA All-American has already made his mark on the Loyola men’s lacrosse program — he's the program’s all-time leader in assists (168) and sits second in points (273). But he went to work this offseason looking to become stronger, in addition to taking on a larger leadership role as a senior.

“He’s been good for four years now,” said Virginia defenseman Logan Greco, who was the primary matchup with Spencer. “But his leadership has actually [improved]. He was really in command of the whole offense, calling out plays and all that. Last year, a lot of came from the sideline. This year, a lot of it came from him. That leadership really helped their offense today.”

He admitted he’s trying to make his voice heard on the Loyola offense, but deflected some of the praise.

“I want to be a more goal leader, be a high-energy guy for this team,” he said. “But don’t get yourself fooled. [Offensive Coordinator Marc Van Arsdale] has a lot going on on the sideline, and he’s running a lot for us.”

Already 6-foot-3 and over 200 pounds, Spencer focused on building strength over the fall and winter in preparation for the physical style of play he’d face this season. According to Spencer, you’ll see an even more aggressive threat on the Loyola offense.

“I think the team could probably use me playing a little hit more aggressive,” he said. “It will probably eventually open up things later on. Teams will probably think of me as the assist guy and will be a little hesitant to slide, so fine, I’ll go get a goal. But if they want to slide, I’ll find the open guy. I’m just taking what the defense gave me.”

Spencer had his unit clicking all game on Saturday, while Stover stifled the Virginia offense led by Dox Aitken, Matt Moore and Michael Kraus. It was a great way to enter his third full season as the Greyhounds starter.

“It’s a good one to focus on. But Coach Toomey always tells us — we got Hopkins next week,” he said of his 18-save performance. “I’m going to enjoy tonight with the guys. It was definitely good to come back where I left off at the end of last year and to keep improving from there.”

After battling with Grant Limone for the starting job throughout the 2016 season — where he took hold of the position in March and managed a 7.80 goals against average — it was Stover’s job to lose for the past three seasons. 

And he’s taken advantage of the opportunity. He's led the Patriot League in goals-against average in two consecutive seasons. He was an All-American in 2017 after holding opposing offenses to 7.74 goals per game and he took home Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2018 with an 8.54 goals against average.

Son of Baltimore Ravens legend Matt Stover, Jacob opened his season with what Virginia coach Lars Tiffany called a “Herculean” effort. The Cavaliers were getting high-percentage shots — or “1’s” as Tiffany called them — but they weren’t falling.

“I remember looking at the shots and it was 23-11 in Loyola’s favor,” Tiffany said. “Then, I remember looking and it was 23-18 in Loyola’s favor but we hadn't changed the scoreboard. I thought a lot of our shots were 1’s — right on the doorstep. That was a stretch there where he just wouldn’t let the ball in.

And that performance provided the stability for a Loyola defense that has to replace to stalwarts from the 2018 unit. Foster Huggins was a First Team All-American on defense and Ryder Harkins contributed 14 caused turnovers in 2018.

If Stover can play as he did on Saturday, Loyola could make up for anything lost to graduation. 

“From a personnel standpoint, we knew that we were losing two seniors that were big in front of us last year and the guys needed to step up,” Stover said. “Credit to Cam Wyers and Alex Johnson and Paul [Volante] — we kept our cool and knew that we were going to have to make stops one at a time and not focus on the whole scheme of the game but simplify it.”

At least for one game, the formula of Spencer and Stover (plus a strong supporting cast) provided Loyola with enough to beat one of the top teams in the nation. The question of whether it can sustain a national championship run remains to be seen — but the Greyhounds looked capable of doing so in Game 1.

“The difference was a fantastic offensive effort led by the best offensive player in the country, and fantastic goalie play,” Tiffany said. “I was just really impressed with what this coaching staff has done.”