Loyola University Lacrosse 2020

[kramerica.inc]

So a few points.
Loyola is getting kileld on their M2M defense. Did Railey and Hughes play? If not, why? Still hurt or still getting back to speed from injury?
If either plays and are healthy, that could be helpful.
Loyola put 30 of 40 shots on goal. THat tells me we are getting good looks. But many of those shots were stright to Rode's stick.
Need. To. Shoot. Better.

[51percentcorn]

Loyola put 30 of 40 shots on goal. THat tells me we are getting good looks. But many of those shots were stright to Rode's stick.
Need. To. Shoot. Better.

To be clear they put essentially 30 of 40 shots on goal against Hopkins last year. Two days ago they were 28 for 55 SOG

[kramerica.inc]

Loyola shot 16% against UVA.
If they move that up to a "meh" 23%, Hounds win.

[houndace1]

just heard on the IL podcast that Hughes is still recovering from his torn ACL last season

also noting that the staff really believes that Jack Decker can be the alpha male in terms of physicality from the midfield...

Interesting..

[loyola11]

just heard on the IL podcast that Hughes is still recovering from his torn ACL last season

also noting that the staff really believes that Jack Decker can be the alpha male in terms of physicality from the midfield...

Interesting..

I heard that Hughes was disciplinary and would not play first two games.

As for an alpha male at middie, they need to find some one... hope for a good week of practice and get a win. If we win on Saturday, IMO we can beat Rutgers and Towson. Be a great game against Duke. Coming out of the first five 3-2 would be amazing leading into patriot league play

[TheBigIguana]

just heard on the IL podcast that Hughes is still recovering from his torn ACL last season

also noting that the staff really believes that Jack Decker can be the alpha male in terms of physicality from the midfield...

Interesting..

I heard that Hughes was disciplinary and would not play first two games.

As for an alpha male at middie, they need to find some one... hope for a good week of practice and get a win. If we win on Saturday, IMO we can beat Rutgers and Towson. Be a great game against Duke. Coming out of the first five 3-2 would be amazing leading into patriot league play

3-2 is probably the minimum to have an at large still be possible. 2-3 with wins over Rutgers and Towson will leave us short on RPI and quality wins. There has to be a win over Duke or Hopkins or it's Patriot League or bust.

[blue angels]

Loyola shot 16% against UVA.
If they move that up to a "meh" 23%, Hounds win.

If Ifs and Buts were candy and nuts........ You got beat by a stronger team that wasn't playing particularly well for stretches of the game and still won by 3. it's not like fantasizing if this or that had happened, Loyola might have won as it would have taken several things to erase that margin and also assume nothing ever changed for Virginia either. They just didn't and game is over. Worry about Hop now. Good luck against them.

[kramerica.inc]

Loyola shot 16% against UVA.
If they move that up to a "meh" 23%, Hounds win.

If Ifs and Buts were candy and nuts........ You got beat by a stronger team that wasn't playing particularly well for stretches of the game and still won by 3. it's not like fantasizing if this or that had happened, Loyola might have won as it would have taken several things to erase that margin and also assume nothing ever changed for Virginia either. They just didn't and game is over. Worry about Hop now. Good luck against them.

Correct. UVA is most certainly the stronger team that was not playing well. They were fortunate the Hounds shot an unusually poor 16%.
The UVA defense most certainly had a hand in some of that. But I can think of at least 4 saves in particular that the Hounds took 1v1, uncontested, that they threw right into Rode's stick.

Good for Rode for not flinching.

[houndace1]

just heard on the IL podcast that Hughes is still recovering from his torn ACL last season

also noting that the staff really believes that Jack Decker can be the alpha male in terms of physicality from the midfield...

Interesting..

I heard that Hughes was disciplinary and would not play first two games.

As for an alpha male at middie, they need to find some one... hope for a good week of practice and get a win. If we win on Saturday, IMO we can beat Rutgers and Towson. Be a great game against Duke. Coming out of the first five 3-2 would be amazing leading into patriot league play

you've gotta be kidding me. He can't play the first two games which are opportunities to help the team come pick up significant wins to help in possible post season play? An enforcer on D who can scoop up ground balls and he wasn't allowed to play due to disciplinary reasons.

Quite unfortunate but wish we could have him back for Hop

Also lets say we go 3-2 in the first 5 out of conference games. Dont forget Georgetown who is becoming a significant opportunity as well for a possible big win

[NovaHound]

Loyola shot 16% against UVA.
If they move that up to a "meh" 23%, Hounds win.

If Ifs and Buts were candy and nuts........ You got beat by a stronger team that wasn't playing particularly well for stretches of the game and still won by 3. it's not like fantasizing if this or that had happened, Loyola might have won as it would have taken several things to erase that margin and also assume nothing ever changed for Virginia either. They just didn't and game is over. Worry about Hop now. Good luck against them.

Correct. UVA is most certainly the stronger team that was not playing well. They were fortunate the Hounds shot an unusually poor 16%.
The UVA defense most certainly had a hand in some of that. But I can think of at least 4 saves in particular that the Hounds took 1v1, uncontested, that they threw right into Rode's stick.

Good for Rode for not flinching.

Yeah - on to Hopkins. Hoping offense finds its shooting grove on Saturday. #21 equaled his 2019 point total - that's good news. 16% just won't get it done and I don't expect to see Hounds shooting that percentage and that poorly any more. GK plaid well. Cautiously optimistic that he will continue to improve each game.

[Peter Brown]

Loyola shot 16% against UVA.
If they move that up to a "meh" 23%, Hounds win.

If Ifs and Buts were candy and nuts........ You got beat by a stronger team that wasn't playing particularly well for stretches of the game and still won by 3. it's not like fantasizing if this or that had happened, Loyola might have won as it would have taken several things to erase that margin and also assume nothing ever changed for Virginia either. They just didn't and game is over. Worry about Hop now. Good luck against them.

Correct. UVA is most certainly the stronger team that was not playing well. They were fortunate the Hounds shot an unusually poor 16%.
The UVA defense most certainly had a hand in some of that. But I can think of at least 4 saves in particular that the Hounds took 1v1, uncontested, that they threw right into Rode's stick.

Good for Rode for not flinching.

Yeah - on to Hopkins. Hoping offense finds its shooting grove on Saturday. #21 equaled his 2019 point total - that's good news. 16% just won't get it done and I don't expect to see Hounds shooting that percentage and that poorly any more. GK plaid well. Cautiously optimistic that he will continue to improve each game.

Devereaux is a beast! The kid is large and fast and can bring heat. Let the dogs out against Bloomberg's team!


Who let the dogs out
Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof
Who let the dogs out
Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof

[stupefied]

Thought there were some decent signs there despite the loss. The biggest take away for me was that the defense still can't play man to man. It killed them last year and it was ugly again to start this season. They won't play teams with as much dodging talent as UVA often, but the inability to effectively communicate and cover during any type of slide will be a problem.

The good news is the switch to zone worked wonders, and Shafer looks like he can handle it if they give him a chance. Ryan McNulty was awesome and he is a player Loyola needs to build around, which might mean playing zone and letting him try to force turnovers and cover shooters from that center spot. More aggressive transition would be nice too, as they passed up a few opportunities.

On offense it was alright. I think Rode's performance might hide that they did pretty well for the first time out. Olmstead isn't Pat, so they'll need to have less one on one dodging from X and more ball movement, but he still did well. Lindley was his usual self aside from the low shooting percentage, but that will come around. Kamish looked frisky, but he wasn't all the way there yet.

The midfield was a mixed bag. Deveroux can bring it even if he isn't offering much else, Wigley and Swindell can dodge and should do well, and Poitras looks a real player and would almost certainly be starting attack if we didn't have two leftys already. The rest didn't really make much of an impression. Finding depth there will be crucial to the offense functioning when one guy isn't getting you 100 points.

They have a shot against Hopkins, but the defense will be a major key. Charley needs to go zone earlier if it isn't happening with the man to man, and hopefully we can get enough saves to win that way.

Watched much of game. Loyola has good size on D and zone does works best for them . Think actual strength of D is backline with some athletic trees. Not sure who you were missing but rope unit and wing play could be better .Did not think McNulty had a good game. Tentative on step to Bienkowski, jocked out by PeterBrown's Laviano for a goal, slow step to same on another and then appeared to be backdoored by Cormier . Aiken got his shots off. I gb to Conners 6. Agree that CF in that setup should get to's and he and #59 scan be factors in transition . Positive was those youngsters under watch have alot of potential and team showed grit. New goalie looked very good in second half .Olmstead and Lindley are very good player adjusting to bigger roles. Team is already competitive and they will be better come April. Three team race in PL

[molo]

Q has the Hounds favored over Hopkins. I’ve been going back and forth on this one. One team is coming off a “quality loss” while the other dominated a not so strong team.

[OCanada]

If Epstein can’t play at 100% I think it makes it easier. LC has replaced Stover. Not so sure about the rest. Hopkins has a lot of new faces getting time. Hard to tell.


Peter Brown picked LC by 8 over VA. So I think he should give Hopkins 16. I really wanted to take VA and 8 for 1k. I would double it if I could get 16 on this game

[kramerica.inc]

If Epstein can’t play at 100% I think it makes it easier. LC has replaced Stover. Not so sure about the rest. Hopkins has a lot of new faces getting time. Hard to tell.


Peter Brown picked LC by 8 over VA. So I think he should give Hopkins 16. I really wanted to take VA and 8 for 1k. I would double it if I could get 16 on this game

[GreyingHound]

My few thoughts.

1. We’re going to be fine in goal. No 2 showed me for the first time that he can start on this team.

2. Hughs didn’t play? That will be a huge issue if he’s injured.

3. The run and gun is back. That means we’re going to turn the ball over a lot. We going to take risks in order to create transition. We need to be bit more understanding when it comes to that stat. They are trying to play twice as fast. We also need 55 to shoot more. I think he was a passer and not a shooter yesterday.

4. This team was down by 6 and fought back. They have heart and are grinders. You can’t teach that. Some teams would roll over and die.

My take.

Looks like we old-timers agree with each other, Olddog. Your observations are spot on!

1. I honestly thought I was watching Stover out there in cage. Shafer had tremendous poise. He made some nice saves, but best of all, he controlled the rebounds. In most cases, he caught the ball cleanly, and if I'm not mistaken, didn't give up a single second chance. Plus, his outlet passes were perfect. Really great game for his first start ever.

2. Not sure what's up with Hughes. Sounds like there are conflicting stories about injury and suspension. He has never played a single minute in a Loyola uniform, so I am anxious to see what he can do.

3. GREAT point about the run and gun. Back when Loyola adopted the run & gun in 2012, Toomey went on record stating that when you play fast, you're going to have to accept turnovers. They go hand in hand. There were 99 shots taken in this game! It's not reasonable to expect mistake-free ball at that pace.

4. We were actually down by 7, but scored one right before halftime. They never gave up, made adjustments and clawed their way back into the game. UVA had no answer for the zone D. It was a very gritty performance. It reminded me a bit of the first game of 2014. In that game in Charlottesville, we were down 12-4 late in the third quarter, but scored 9 unanswered goals to take the lead, only to lose in OT. That was the only game the Hounds lost that season, which was supposed to be a rebuilding year after graduating most of the National Championship roster in 2013.

Hopkins was inconsistent against Towson. it will be a tough game, but I like our chances.

[GreyingHound]

just heard on the IL podcast that Hughes is still recovering from his torn ACL last season

also noting that the staff really believes that Jack Decker can be the alpha male in terms of physicality from the midfield...

Interesting..

That is interesting. Decker never got onto the field on Saturday...

[GreyingHound]

can someone help me out here, i'm trying to figure out who the starting D guys were? The camera angle made it hard to pick out numbers on the jerseys but all i saw was Wyers, McNulty, Boland and Razanka- Numbers wise. Whoever guarded Matt Moore got COOKED yesterday on some of his goals.

Seay definitely got some PT yesterday. Poitras is the lefty they said could play at attack but they're making him play midfield because Lindley and olmstead are the primary lefties on attack. IMO, we need a different QB type attackman. Olmstead didn't do much to initiate from X and his low angle shots were hard to watch. But maybe this will improve as the season goes on.

Absolutely need the significant win against Hopkins next week.

The close defense on Saturday was Wyers, Johnson, and LeBlanc. You can find the individual stats here: https://loyolagreyhounds.com/sports/mens-lacrosse/stats

And I wouldn't go so far as to say we need the Hopkins win. Yes, it's a resume builder, but it's only the second game of the season. Last year, UVA started out 0-2 with a loss to High Point and went on to win the National Championship...

[loyola11]

just heard on the IL podcast that Hughes is still recovering from his torn ACL last season

also noting that the staff really believes that Jack Decker can be the alpha male in terms of physicality from the midfield...

Interesting..

I heard that Hughes was disciplinary and would not play first two games.

As for an alpha male at middie, they need to find some one... hope for a good week of practice and get a win. If we win on Saturday, IMO we can beat Rutgers and Towson. Be a great game against Duke. Coming out of the first five 3-2 would be amazing leading into patriot league play

you've gotta be kidding me. He can't play the first two games which are opportunities to help the team come pick up significant wins to help in possible post season play? An enforcer on D who can scoop up ground balls and he wasn't allowed to play due to disciplinary reasons.

Quite unfortunate but wish we could have him back for Hop

Also lets say we go 3-2 in the first 5 out of conference games. Dont forget Georgetown who is becoming a significant opportunity as well for a possible big win

Are you suggesting that winning is more important than culture of the team. Any one that knows Toomey, knows that he has a set of rules, and if you break them you pay the price... Maybe the player should not have been so selfish and not broken the rules?

[houndace1]

just heard on the IL podcast that Hughes is still recovering from his torn ACL last season

also noting that the staff really believes that Jack Decker can be the alpha male in terms of physicality from the midfield...

Interesting..

I heard that Hughes was disciplinary and would not play first two games.

As for an alpha male at middie, they need to find some one... hope for a good week of practice and get a win. If we win on Saturday, IMO we can beat Rutgers and Towson. Be a great game against Duke. Coming out of the first five 3-2 would be amazing leading into patriot league play

you've gotta be kidding me. He can't play the first two games which are opportunities to help the team come pick up significant wins to help in possible post season play? An enforcer on D who can scoop up ground balls and he wasn't allowed to play due to disciplinary reasons.

Quite unfortunate but wish we could have him back for Hop

Also lets say we go 3-2 in the first 5 out of conference games. Dont forget Georgetown who is becoming a significant opportunity as well for a possible big win

Are you suggesting that winning is more important than culture of the team. Any one that knows Toomey, knows that he has a set of rules, and if you break them you pay the price... Maybe the player should not have been so selfish and not broken the rules?

Nooo noo I phrased that horribly. The reaction was how he unfortunately wasn’t able to play in 2 games that serve for resume builders to potentially get into post season play. If the vibe was that I was attacking the player for his actions - then i sincerely apologize.

Winning has meaning, but culture and relationships between players and coaches is what is more important in the long run.