Graham Savio's return to practice on Tuesday has given Loyola Maryland hope that the faceoff specialist will be available for Friday's road game against Patriot League foe Bucknell.
Savio, a sophomore who ranks 10th in Division I in faceoff percentage (60.7 percent; has won 145 of 239) and 17th in ground balls per game (5.7), injured his hamstring in the first half of a game at No. 3 Maryland a week ago and did not play in the second half of an eventual 11-10 loss.
He sat out the No. 17 Greyhounds' 8-6 victory at Boston University on Saturday, but practiced on a limited basis on Tuesday.
"We're optimistic that on Friday, he's going to be out there for us," coach Charley Toomey said. "He's a day-by-day decision. He didn't have a full practice. He's out there kind of stretching and moving around and doing some of the drills, but not all of the drills. We're very hopeful that he's going to be back."
Toomey said he is not as concerned about Savio's ability to complete exercises as much as he is worried about the hamstring's strength.
"He's got to be able to crank down on that hamstring and really have no pain because he's got to be able to push off and he's got to be able to explode," Toomey said. "You just don't want to hurt him by throwing him out there and making it worse. That would be the worst-case scenario, that you brought him back too soon and he pulled that hamstring and now all of a sudden, he's out for this week and the following week. You want to make sure that he's in a position where you're not risking further injury."
Savio's absence has been filled by senior Brendan Donovan, a Parkton resident and Loyola Blakefield graduate. Although freshman Mike Orefice and sophomore long-stick midfielder Ryan Fournier are listed as Donovan's backups, Donovan took 36 of 37 draws after Savio's injury, winning 44.4 percent (16 of 36) and collecting two ground balls.
"Last week [at Boston University], he gave us a ton of energy in the first half, and we needed all of that," Toomey said. "They're a terrific team at the faceoff X and they won faceoffs and we didn't. So they got some momentum in that second half. Whether it's Dono or Graham, we need to make sure that we can handle all of the different scenarios.
"We got a great game out of Dono on Wednesday up at Maryland. So what we have to worry about is how we react to whether we're winning or losing faceoffs and support those guys from a wings standpoint. That's been a real point of emphasis, our wing play and being more supportive of all of our faceoff guys."