The first goal of any lacrosse game is rarely the most memorable, but Annie Thomas will always remember assisting Loyola Maryland's first goal against Johns Hopkins last week.
That assist gave Thomas a rare 100 combination — 100 goals and 100 assists. She is the first Greyhound to reach the milestone and just the 50th player in NCAA women's lacrosse history.
"I was behind on the left side of the crease and I remember seeing Kara (Burke) open in the middle of the eight," Thomas said. "It was awesome to get it on my home field where I've been playing for my fourth year now and Kara's one of my best friends. It is a huge honor, but I give a bunch of credit to my teammates for being able to get open. They have the hard job and when I see them open I just feed them."
The Greyhounds have a long list of players who have scored over 100 goals, including Grace Gavin (229), Janet Eisenhut, Stacey Morlang, Andi Holthaus and Marlee Paton, but Thomas is just the second player in Loyola history to dish out 100 assists. Rachel Shuck holds the record with 120.
Thomas, last season's Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, is tied for seventh on the Greyhounds' all-time points list with 212.
Loyola coach Jen Adams said it caught everyone by surprise, even Thomas, when she got close to the milestone.
"Annie's not about the stats and I think that's why … it kind of went quietly. It's a real tribute to her. She's one of the most incredible players, very selfless. To be behind the ball or the one finishing when we need it, she's a pretty complete attacker."
Thomas had the same knack for finishing and feeding as an All-Metro player at John Carroll and she has 104 goals and 104 assists for her Loyola career.
"As a player who dished out the ball quite a bit myself," Adams said, "I know that to be so balanced is incredibly difficult, but it's what makes her such a threat."
Glaros returns to dish about Maryland
Last season, Beth Glaros helped Maryland win the national championship. This year, she's helping fans get a closer look at the No. 1 Terps.
Glaros debuted as an announcer on Wednesday's BTN Plus online broadcast of the Terps' 14-7 win over UMBC in College Park.
"It was easier than I thought it was going to be," she said. "I guess just having the experience playing the game and knowing the rules and Maryland as a team is definitely helpful. It was definitely a different experience. Having been on the field and last week watching the UNC game from the sideline and then this week I was in the booth, so it's really cool to see the game from all of these different viewpoints."
The Wilde Lake graduate, a second-team All-American last season, was the only senior on last year's team. She said she's fine with her transition to the booth.
"It's always hard looking back especially because I played with a lot of the girls on the field now, but I'm ready to just watch this new team and see what the season has in store for them," Glaros said.
A health and physical education teacher at Concordia Prep in Towson, Glaros also helps out with the varsity girls lacrosse team. She's not sure how many Maryland games she might broadcast this season, but she will do Saturday's game with No. 5 Syracuse, a rematch of last year's national championship.
Glaros said she enjoys staying close to the game although she has no definite plans for coaching or announcing.
"The (Maryland) coaches texted me last week about doing it and I was kind of surprised just because I could never see myself in that environment, but I thought I would give it a chance," Glaros said. "You never know what it could lead to in the future and I thought it would be a fun opportunity."
No complaints about Loyola's latest travel snare
Thursday's snow left Loyola stuck in Florida for an extra day, but the Greyhounds weren't complaining. It seemed a fitting reward after their lengthy bus ride in the snow from their Feb. 21 game in Princeton.
The Greyhounds were scheduled to return Thursday after Wednesday's 11-8 loss to the Gators, but they switched their flight to Friday and remained in sunny Gainesville where the temperature hit 80.
"This is maybe the karma," Adams said. "You spend 10 1/2 hours in the bus in the snow and you get an extra day in Florida."
Quick hits
Maryland is 85-2 at home during coach Cathy Reese's nine-year tenure. … Virginia Tech's Megan Will (C. Milton Wright) leads Division I in goals scored with 23. … Navy's Loren Generi leads Division I in points with 33. … Mount St. Mary's Lauren Schwarzmann (Century) earned her first head coaching victory with Wednesday's 17-11 win over St. Bonaventure. … 14 Division I teams remain undefeated, including Maryland and Towson.