Loyola University Lacrosse 2020

[thatsmell]

Hounds poles and LSMs are not what I'm worried about for Loyola. I like the experience and depth we have there. It'll be a real team effort there. Goalie is a question till we see the answer under live-fire. I think if they can be near or around .500 save %, the Hounds will be ok this season.

Hoping this defensive unit gives the new goalie a chance and really limits the free looks by UVA. We've got to contest the shots and get on the hands. Certainly a challenge as we've heard about how good Laviano and Co. are. If we don't, it could be a very long day for the Hounds.

I like 2/3 of the Hound's attack. I have no clue who will grab that 3rd spot. But it's a solid base to build around. Any production whatsoever out of that 3rd attackman is bonus.

Love the Loyola fogo corps. Savio was good last year- With no help and little competition in practice. He now has 2 of the best freshmen in the nation behind him, spelling him and competing in practice. I expect them to compete each week and be a real difference-making unit some games.

Midfield is the big question. Not athletically, as I think we are deep with athletes and SSDM types. I think we'll be good in transition and can run, but I really want to see if we have anyone that can settle down and produce in 6v6. Midfield offense, like the defense, will need to be a team effort. We probably won't get 2 guys with 3 goals. But if 3-4 different middies and an occasional LSM can get a goal (possibly 2?) it would be absolutely huge for the Hounds.

That's a big "if."

Glad the season is finally here- Enjoy it all!

[Peter Brown]

Hounds poles and LSMs are not what I'm worried about for Loyola. I like the experience and depth we have there. It'll be a real team effort there. Goalie is a question till we see the answer under live-fire. I think if they can be near or around .500 save %, the Hounds will be ok this season.

Hoping this defensive unit gives the new goalie a chance and really limits the free looks by UVA. We've got to contest the shots and get on the hands. Certainly a challenge as we've heard about how good Laviano and Co. are. If we don't, it could be a very long day for the Hounds.

I like 2/3 of the Hound's attack. I have no clue who will grab that 3rd spot. But it's a solid base to build around. Any production whatsoever out of that 3rd attackman is bonus.

Love the Loyola fogo corps. Savio was good last year- With no help and little competition in practice. He now has 2 of the best freshmen in the nation behind him, spelling him and competing in practice. I expect them to compete each week and be a real difference-making unit some games.

Midfield is the big question. Not athletically, as I think we are deep with athletes and SSDM types. I think we'll be good in transition and can run, but I really want to see if we have anyone that can settle down and produce in 6v6. Midfield offense, like the defense, will need to be a team effort. We probably won't get 2 guys with 3 goals. But if 3-4 different middies and an occasional LSM can get a goal (possibly 2?) it would be absolutely huge for the Hounds.

That's a big "if."

Glad the season is finally here- Enjoy it all!

Excellent summary.

[hens62]

Hens62,
I think of Peter Brown as a split personality: one is the opinionated drunk uncle who you try not to engage with at Thanksgiving dinner. The other is the enthusiastic Loyola fan who sees the world through gray and green glasses and every now and then offers a nugget of wisdom. You're just never sure which you're dealing with at any point in time.

But I thought the internet was only for unbiased intelligent discussion cant believe I took the bait..

[houndace1]

Here’s an insightful article that Ed Lee wrote for loyola this season. Pat actually got dinner with both Aidan and Kevin to discuss their roles for this new season. There were a lot of interesting bits from the article that made me have some bit of optimism for the year.

One of the things I loved is how both Pat and Jacob both expressed positivity about how the season will turn out despite their big graduation losses. Stover is a graduate assistant coach for the team while pursuing his MBA

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/col ... story.html

[Peter Brown]

Here’s an insightful article that Ed Lee wrote for loyola this season. Pat actually got dinner with both Aidan and Kevin to discuss their roles for this new season. There were a lot of interesting bits from the article that made me have some bit of optimism for the year.

One of the things I loved is how both Pat and Jacob both expressed positivity about how the season will turn out despite their big graduation losses. Stover is a graduate assistant coach for the team while pursuing his MBA

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/col ... story.html

Can you try to copy that article and paste? Apparently I have run out of free Baltimore Sun articles...

Go Hounds!

[Peter Brown]

Hens62,
I think of Peter Brown as a split personality: one is the opinionated drunk uncle who you try not to engage with at Thanksgiving dinner. The other is the enthusiastic Loyola fan who sees the world through gray and green glasses and every now and then offers a nugget of wisdom. You're just never sure which you're dealing with at any point in time.

But I thought the internet was only for unbiased intelligent discussion cant believe I took the bait..

I gave up being completely online sober and intelligent when I realized too many (not all) internet debates are ad hominem fallacies, strawman argumentations, appeals to ignorance, false dichotomies, slippery slope fallacies, circular arguments, and hasty generalizations. Outside that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

Hounds by 8.

[Matnum PI]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/col ... story.html

In November, Kevin Lindley, Aidan Olmstead and Pat Spencer took a familiar ride from the Loyola Maryland campus to C&R Pub in Towson, and over dinner, Spencer — the winner of the 2019 Tewaaraton Award, honoring the nation’s top lacrosse player — reinforced what he had been telling his two younger, former teammates for several months.

“He really reached out and wanted to say that the reins have kind of been passed to Kevin and me and to really take leadership of the offense and to trust what we’ve been doing for the past two years,” Olmstead said. “He said to build off of that and come into your own.”

Five players to watch for the 2020 men’s college lacrosse season »
How will the offense fare without Spencer, the Davidsonville native and Boys’ Latin graduate who became the NCAA’s all-time leader in assists and finished second in points?

How will the midfield replace the losses of John Duffy (graduated) and Chase Scanlan (transfered to Syracuse), who combined for 63 goals and 23 assists?

And how will the defense cope without Jacob Stover, the Hunt Valley resident and McDonogh graduate who went 44-15 as the program’s starting goalkeeper, was a two-time Patriot League Goalie of the Year and earned All-American first-team honors last spring?

“I think everybody knows it’s going to be a little bit different,” coach Charley Toomey said. “It’s tough to replace first-team All-Americans. They’re difference-makers for you, and I’m not going to be the guy that says, ‘Well, maybe the ball’s going to move around a lot more, and Loyola’s going to be better offensively.’ When you take a guy like Pat out of the offense, it’s going to sting. Our job is to develop that next guy.”

Loyola's Kevin Lindley (left) and Alex McGovern (right) celebrate after Lindley scored a first-quarter goal in the Greyhounds' 18-12 victory over Johns Hopkins University on Saturday at Homewood Field.
Loyola's Kevin Lindley (left) and Alex McGovern (right) celebrate after Lindley scored a first-quarter goal in the Greyhounds' 18-12 victory over Johns Hopkins University on Saturday at Homewood Field. (Larry French / Baltimore Sun)
Replacing Spencer is a monumental task, but Lindley ranked third in the nation in goals (60) a year ago and second on the team in points (64). He was voted the Patriot League’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year and said he is embracing the challenge.

“I’ve always felt pressure my whole life, and I think the more pressure a person is going to have, they’re going to play better,” the junior attackman said. “But I think there’s more pressure on the team now. We have to be perfect in how we execute and be perfect in our spacing because we don’t have a player like Pat who can bail us out like he did last year when our offensive spacing was not great. So everyone has to do their role and do their job every single time in order to be successful. I would say that’s the pressure.”

Lindley has the confidence of his teammates and Spencer, who asked his friend if he would wear Spencer’s No. 7 jersey the day after the team lost, 21-14, to Penn State in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals May 19.

“I don’t want to say he has to live up to it,” said Spencer, who is a starting guard for the Northwestern men’s basketball team. “He scored a lot more goals than I did last year. So he’s not living up to anything. It’s just something where I’ll be proud to look back and see those guys down there on attack with me rooting for them.”

Aidan Olmstead, Loyola, sends the ball past Syracuse goalkeeper Drake Porter to score in the 3rd quarter. Loyola Maryland hosts Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament.
Aidan Olmstead, Loyola, sends the ball past Syracuse goalkeeper Drake Porter to score in the 3rd quarter. Loyola Maryland hosts Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament. (Kim Hairston / Baltimore Sun)
Olmstead, a junior attackman also, totaled 25 goals and 21 assists last spring, but will presumably inherit Spencer’s role as the quarterback of the offense.

“Obviously, there’s going to be comparisons,” he said. “I’m going to play to my strengths, and some of them may be similar to what Pat did. I’m just embracing being Aidan Olmstead and doing what I can to help the team and trying to being the best version of myself that ends up helping the team in whatever shape or form that needs to be done.”

Spencer predicted that Olmstead will enjoy “a breakout year.”

“I don’t think anybody can stop Aidan except Aidan,” he said. “We’ve seen a few times in practice when he was really hard on himself. He’s going to make a couple mistakes as the primary ball carrier, but he’s got to be confident. I think he’s going to be unbelievable.”

The void left behind by Spencer’s departure on the offensive end might be matched by the hole in the defense after Stover graduated. Junior Sam Shafer, who has played just 23 minutes in three games in his first two years, said Stover told him, “It’s your time now. You know what to do.’”

“That meant a lot to me because he’s been there for me since my freshman year, and he taught me so much,” Shafer said. “Playing under Jake was probably one of the best things that could have ever happened for me. I have so much respect for him. It was like having another coach on the field.”

While noting that a potential starting defense of defensemen Cam Wyers, John Railey and Matt Hughes, short-stick midfielders Matt Higgins and Payton Rezanka and long-stick midfielder Ryan McNulty will aid Shafer, Toomey, a former two-time All-American goalie himself, said Shafer understands how he can remove any uncertainty in succeeding Stover, who is working as a graduate assistant coach while pursuing an MBA on campus.

“He has to catch the ball, and it’s something that we’re working on,” Toomey said. “It’s not only making the right decisions in the game, but we’ve got to work on no rebounds, especially when you’ve got the schedule that we play in the early part of the year. We can’t allow second-chance opportunities all season long.”

Loyola’s status as a national contender will be tested in its first six games, as the Greyhounds face the Cavaliers, No. 13 Johns Hopkins, No. 17 Towson and No. 7 Duke. ESPN analyst Quint Kessenich said he doesn’t expect too much of a dropoff.

“Even when Loyola has an average team by their standards, they’re still competing for Patriot League championships,” the former All-American Johns Hopkins goalkeeper said. “I see Loyola in the mix for the Patriot League with Army and with Lehigh. Whereas in the past they were a strong favorite, now it’s more of a hodgepodge.”

For his part, Spencer is bullishly optimistic about the Greyhounds.

“I think they’re going to be fine,” he said. “I think they have a lot of pieces. I think the thing that people don’t realize is, they’re going to have few more questions trying to cover for Jacob than for me. … Some people might be surprised, but everybody within that program won’t be surprised.”

No. 14 Loyola Maryland@No. 2 Virginia

Saturday, 2 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Other notable men’s games this weekend:

Friday

Colgate at Syracuse, 4 p.m.

Manhattan at Navy, 6 p.m.

Saturday

Mount St. Mary’s at Delaware, noon

Maryland at Richmond, noon

Towson at Johns Hopkins, 1 p.m.

Penn State at Villanova, 1 p.m.

Denver at Air Force, 3 p.m.

[loyola11]

Here’s an insightful article that Ed Lee wrote for loyola this season. Pat actually got dinner with both Aidan and Kevin to discuss their roles for this new season. There were a lot of interesting bits from the article that made me have some bit of optimism for the year.

One of the things I loved is how both Pat and Jacob both expressed positivity about how the season will turn out despite their big graduation losses. Stover is a graduate assistant coach for the team while pursuing his MBA

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/col ... story.html

Great Article, Lindley and Olmstead are two great young men. I love their optimism, i do see success in the patriot league, not so much the first 5 games.

I also love that Peter has us winning by 8... If we are within 8, it will be a moral victory. I see a learning curve the first 5 games, if we can be 3-2, huge for us, but more than likely 2-3, wins over Towson and Rutgers...

[Peter Brown]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/col ... story.html

Thank you so much!

Great and interesting article. Aidan completely came out of his shell last year at the end in the games where Pat was shut down. The kid is phenomenal and I am hoping we see the best of him and Kevin this year, starting in two days.

[houndace1]

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... main/55904

Have a gander

[Peter Brown]

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... main/55904

Have a gander

Another great article. Thanks houndace1...you are adept at finding timely online articles and sharing here.

I'm telling you, the lacrosse world is underestimating this team. And the best part about this team relative to last year is how deep we go at almost every position. If anyone is lost to injury, we will be fine, which should keep their legs moving out of motivation alone to keep a starting role.

[houndace1]

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... main/55904

Have a gander

Another great article. Thanks houndace1...you are adept at finding timely online articles and sharing here.

I'm telling you, the lacrosse world is underestimating this team. And the best part about this team relative to last year is how deep we go at almost every position. If anyone is lost to injury, we will be fine, which should keep their legs moving out of motivation alone to keep a starting role.

LOLLL thanks PB. any downtime i have at work i'm scrolling through social media or google articles for the team. i wanna read up as much as i can. Hoping for a favorable outcome saturday

[NovaHound]

Hounds poles and LSMs are not what I'm worried about for Loyola. I like the experience and depth we have there. It'll be a real team effort there. Goalie is a question till we see the answer under live-fire. I think if they can be near or around .500 save %, the Hounds will be ok this season.

Hoping this defensive unit gives the new goalie a chance and really limits the free looks by UVA. We've got to contest the shots and get on the hands. Certainly a challenge as we've heard about how good Laviano and Co. are. If we don't, it could be a very long day for the Hounds.

I like 2/3 of the Hound's attack. I have no clue who will grab that 3rd spot. But it's a solid base to build around. Any production whatsoever out of that 3rd attackman is bonus.

Love the Loyola fogo corps. Savio was good last year- With no help and little competition in practice. He now has 2 of the best freshmen in the nation behind him, spelling him and competing in practice. I expect them to compete each week and be a real difference-making unit some games.

Midfield is the big question. Not athletically, as I think we are deep with athletes and SSDM types. I think we'll be good in transition and can run, but I really want to see if we have anyone that can settle down and produce in 6v6. Midfield offense, like the defense, will need to be a team effort. We probably won't get 2 guys with 3 goals. But if 3-4 different middies and an occasional LSM can get a goal (possibly 2?) it would be absolutely huge for the Hounds.

That's a big "if."

Glad the season is finally here- Enjoy it all!

Great summary "That Smell" - my thoughts too. Would love to get some offensive production from the Mids; got to have it since we lost a lot of offense from last year. I think the Hounds are athletic and actually pretty deep in depth and I'm hoping that the transfers can add to what was there since they have played, albeit in different conferences - Seay especially. Like PB has said, the scoring may be more distributed and that's good. Less reliance on a settled 6v6. Looking for Swindell to become a big factor. He's a leader. And I've got to think Coach MVA has a few tricks up his sleeves to get the most production possible from his unit.

Same Same for GK play. Close D has got to help and I have confidence in that corps of defenders, same with SSDMs. And I believe we will get more production from our LSMs (good ones) which might tip a game or two and always hypes up the sideline and fans.

On a side note, I read with interest that Shellenberger from UVA was redshirting this year and not due to an injury. I had expected him to add much to that corps of UVA attackmen so they must be stacked and loaded at that position. Our defense will have its work cut out for them tomorrow.

[OCanada]

Stacked may be an understatement. They are probably moving the Canadian red shirt FR Cormier to the 1s. Kid is a baller and they still have one on the bench who could start almost anywhere. Interesting to see how he does after his injury.

[Peter Brown]

Stacked may be an understatement. They are probably moving the Canadian red shirt FR Cormier to the 1s. Kid is a baller and they still have one on the bench who could start almost anywhere. Interesting to see how he does after his injury.

Snooze.

I'll take the Hounds over the Hoos any day, any position, any field. I will especially take our heart.

Hounds by 8.

[wgdsr]

this loyola team sounds loaded.

[foreverlax]

Stacked may be an understatement. They are probably moving the Canadian red shirt FR Cormier to the 1s. Kid is a baller and they still have one on the bench who could start almost anywhere. Interesting to see how he does after his injury.

Snooze.

I'll take the Hounds over the Hoos any day, any position, any field. I will especially take our heart.

Hounds by 8.

Wanna bet?

[OCanada]

I will take the 8. 1,000 and Matt holds the cash?

[wgdsr]

don't take all his cash. gonna need him flush in may/june.

[kramerica.inc]

this loyola team sounds loaded.

We're not sure if the Hounds are loaded.
But with the way Pete's talking, we're pretty sure he is.