One week and one result completely changed the outlooks for the Navy and Loyola lacrosse programs.
Navy was riding high atop the Patriot League standings after routing second-place Boston University on March 28. Loyola Maryland, on the other hand, was doing some serious soul-searching after suffering a lopsided loss to Colgate that same afternoon.
After watching his team bounce back with a 17-7 victory over the Midshipmen on Saturday, Loyola coach Charley Toomey had a smile on his face and pep in his step. Meanwhile, Navy coach Rick Sowell was left scratching his head after seeing his squad get totally exposed.
Junior attackman Zach Herreweyeres equalled a career-high with six points as No. 20 Loyola dominated from start to finish in routing No. 18 Navy before an announced crowd of 2,298 at Ridley Athletic Complex. Sophomore midfielder Romar Dennis also posted a career-high with four points for the Greyhounds, who outshot the visitors 51-31 and won the ground-ball battle 37-22.
"We talked in our locker room before the game about getting back to Loyola lacrosse," Toomey said. "In my opinion, Loyola lacrosse is a team that wants to play fast, wants to work hard off the ground, wants to share the ball on the offensive end, wants to makepossessions difficult for our opponent, and, when we have opportunities to, really run.
"I think our players really responded and played 50 to 55 minutes of that type of lacrosse. I was very proud of our effort today."
Sophomore midfielder Brian Sherlock contributed a hat trick for Loyola, which outscored Navy 11-2 in the second and third quarters. Nikko Pontrello netted two goals while fellow attackman Zach Sirico added two assists for the Greyhounds (6-5 overall, 4-2 Patriot League).
Loyola recognized its eight seniors during a pregame ceremony then took the field and played with the type of emotion and intensity that Toomey felt was lacking in last Saturday's surprising 11-4 loss to Colgate.
"Our kids were prepared today. They knew what Navy was going to do and they were prepared on both sides of the ball," Toomey said. "They really invested a great deal this week, and I think they got what they deserved. They scrapped and clawed and really honored our seniors today."
It was a baffling performance by Navy (7-4, 5-2), which seemed a step slow most of the way. The Midshipmen were sloppy on both ends — committing 16 turnovers, struggling to clear and giving up too many open looks due to defensive breakdowns.
"I don't think that everybody came out with the right mentality today and that's something we're going to have to look at individually and as a team and try to fix," Navy defenseman Chris Fennell said. "We'll take a day to lick our wounds and come back Monday ready to go."
Junior attackman T.J. Hanzsche had a goal and two assists while freshman attackman Jack Ray scored two goals for Navy, which had scoring droughts of 17:16 in the first half and 19:32 in the second half. Loyola took advantage by going on 6-0 runs during those two scoreless stretches.
"Obviously, we didn't bring our 'A' game. We'll have to figure out why over the next several hours as we put it under the microscope," Sowell said. "At the end of the day, I'd rather give more credit to Loyola for how well they played than sit here and try to give reasons for why we didn't play as well as we could have played."
Despite the defeat, Navy received one of six berths in the Patriot League Tournament because Holy Cross and Lehigh both lost on Saturday. The Midshipmen, who had a four-game winning streak snapped, face archrival Army in Annapolis next Saturday.
"I think this is one of these games that we probably throw away because I have never (seen) this team that performed today. So I have to believe it's an aberration," Sowell said.
Loyola, on the other hand, must figure out how to replicate the effort it put forth. Graham Savio won his highly anticipated faceoff fight with fellow sophomore Brady Dove, 15-10, while freshman goalie Grant Limone (eight saves) anchored a defense that limited Navy to just three goals through three quarters. The Greyhounds scored a slew of transition or unsettled goals, displaying superb ball movement while amassing 10 assists.
"The challenge for us is: Can we bottle this? Can we bottle this preparation, can we bottle this energy? Can we bring it to practice again on Monday and really take care of business?" Toomey said.
Toomey broke into a broad grin when asked about the atmosphere in the locker room this Saturday as compared to seven days prior. Loyola needed to regain some positive vibes as it travels to College Park to take on third-ranked Maryland (9-1) on Wednesday night.
"Happy Easter!" the 10th-year head coach proclaimed. "I'm very happy for our players and I'm proud of our effort, but you can't smile too long because we go into the lion's den on Wednesday night with the University of Maryland."
Navy held onto first place in the Patriot League by percentage points while Loyola remained in a three-way tie for second with Army and Colgate.
Navy (7-4, 5-2)2113-7Loyola (6-5, 4-2)4652-17
GOALS: N – Ray 2, Hanzsche, Voumard, Flounlacker, Little, Francis. L – Herreweyers 3, Sherlock 3, Dennis 2, Pontrello 2, Davliakos, Albrecht, Drapeau, Begley, Fournier, Frazier, Cunningham. ASSISTS: N – Hanzsche, Voumard. L – Herreweyers 3, Dennis 2, Sirico 2, Davliakos, DeSisto, Sherlock. SHOTS: N – 31. L – 51. SAVES: N – Connors 11, Pounds 3. Loyola – Limone 8. GROUND BALLS: N – 22. L – 37. FACEOFFS: N – 13. L – 15. TURNOVERS: N – 16. L – 11.