With NCAA lacrosse conference realignment on the horizon there were a few minor changes to the 2014 conferences in preparation for the big shift. One of the moves were the Loyola Greyhounds bouncing over to the Patriot League.
The Greyhounds put on a show all season, educating the small-school teams in lacrosse IQ and competition levels. They went 14-1 all season and destroyed the majority of their conference opponents.
This past Sunday, Loyola met Lehigh again, this time at Ridley Field in Chester, PA. Recent history ultimately repeated itself and the Greyhounds tore apart the Mountainhawks 16-7.
Greyhounds
Eight different players for Loyola scored on Sunday joined by six different Greyhounds assisting.
Matt Sawyer and Nikko Pontrello lit up Lehigh’s cage a combined seven times. Brian Schultz, Brian Sherlock and Kevin Ryan each scored two goals. Justin Ward was on fire as a feeder, assisting three different goals.
In the cage for the ‘Hounds were Jack Runkel and Pat McEnerney. Runkel made 15 saves, played over 58 minutes and was granted the W. McEnerney made two saves and allowed two goals in the final two minutes of the game.
Loyola did accumulate five minutes of penalties amongst seven players. David Manning committed four penalties and personally sat in the box for three minutes. Ryan Fournier also took a big flag and was penalized with a whole minute in the box.
Mountainhawks
Only four players from Lehigh were able to successfully find the back of the cage: Patrick Corbett (3), Dan Taylor (2), Dylan O’Shaughnessy (1) and Kurtis Kaunas (1). Dan Taylor made two assists.
There is a difference in caliber that I noticed when covering the match up between these teams earlier in the regular season. Loyola plays at a faster, more fluid pace by backing up their shots and playing the ball constantly. Lehigh is a more patient team, calculating their opportunities and playing smart.
Unfortunately, that was the downfall for Lehigh this season and in the championship against the Greyhounds.
Matt Poillon had a rough day getting unloaded on by Loyola, making 14 saves but allowing 15 past him.
On the positive side of things, Lehigh managed to win the majority of the draws, having Ryan Buttenbaum go 15-27. Ty Souders was also a large impact on defense scooping 4 ground balls and having a hovering presence over his opponents.
The Match Up
Lehigh did manage to stay close with Loyola in shots, shooting 42 while the ‘Hounds shot 46. The Mountainhawks recovered 37 ground balls and the Greyhounds 41. Both teams capitalized on two of their man-up opportunities, and Lehigh managed to commit 4 face off violations while Loyola remained flawless.
