Loyola University Lacrosse 2020

[Peter Brown]

Good win today boys! Started the PL with a solid all around team win. Loved seeing Raba again on that score sheet. Lindley was bound to find seams and he did.

Tough venue on a very cold day.

On to Duke, boys!!!! Let’s roll!

[houndace1]

this may sound crazy... but Duke could be a winnable game???

Duke has looked vulnerable this year in a lot of their games. Maybe this 2020 team can perform like what they've been doing the past 3 games and squeek out a win

Thanks for the jinx.

(never talk poorly about an upcoming opponent unless done in jest)

just starting a preview discussion! This the game that gets us every year. Haven't won a game against them since the 2016 first round

[laxbro11]

Greyhound, my expectations is to be playing in the final four. It seems to me that you are okay with miscues and bad passes. It does not matter wht the score is.... and we where out scored 9-3 in the first half, well if we did not have those miscues at UVA, we would have won and that is my point. You are okay with losing to the defending national champs, where i am not. And we if we only beat Lafayette by one, than we have problems. We have won three games in a row to teams that are not very good. But if you keep making excuses you are essentially enabling the behavior. So next week if we lose to Duke, what will be the excuse?

Laxbro: did you play lacrosse? Cause I have a couple of thoughts here regarding your post that most lacrosse players are going to understand.

1. It's not acceptable to dismiss a team like Lafayette with comments like 'if we beat them by one, then we have problems'. Every kid playing in D1 is worthy of their role. Any team, any day, can beat any team.

2. Hounds outscored '9-3 in first half against defending champs (UVA)'. This Hounds team is young. Going from High School to D1, that first game pass zips by a lot faster, that first check feels a lot harder, and those wheels on the competition spin a lot more energetically. I bet half our team had no idea what hit them the first 30 minutes, but they sure did come out the second half and have ever since. Also, please bear in mind that UVA lost really just one impact player from last year, whereas this Hounds team lost 60% of our entire offense, plus our AA #1 goalie. We may as well have been playing last year's championship team.

3. Always look at weather to see what the variables for that day might look like. Easton on its best day is an awful town. Try playing there in 30 degree weather with decent winds, and let me know if you bring your 'A game' every time...

4. Rutgers and Hopkins are 'not very good''? lol. Maybe the Hounds had something to do with them not being very good that day? I'll make a bet that both those teams win some games this year that you think they should lose. And when they do win, will you then say that the team that was supposed to beat Rutgers and Hop is 'not very good', cause they lost to Rutgers or Hop?

5. We are young. Young teams have arcs, they don't land on the winners' podium because we say so. This season will be an arc with different zigs and zags, no linear line upward to Memorial Day weekend. And I know this: when it's all said and done, the improvement from Day 1 against UVA to the final game whatever game that is, Hounds' fans will look back and see a team that developed mightily over the season. Cause that's what good, young teams with good coaching do.

The only recipe for success is to try your hardest, learn from mistakes, and persevere. Today is no different. I want a win; if it's a win by only 1 in triple OT, I'll be quite happy. Lafayette is a good team and the weather is their friend today.

Let's go Hounds!! Rock and roll, fella's!

Peter I did play at the d1 level and you know that some teams are not as strong. Yes if you win by one it is good. So are you telling me that Toomey would have been happy with a one goal win? If you played lacrosse you would know that he would not be.

We will see how good this team is next week. Cannot use excuse this is a young team if we struggle. They are 5 games in.

[laxbro11]

Good win today boys! Started the PL with a solid all around team win. Loved seeing Raba again on that score sheet. Lindley was bound to find seams and he did.

Tough venue on a very cold day.

On to Duke, boys!!!! Let’s roll!

the most impressive stat from today is 17 of 17 on clears. Plus the defense only gave up 15 shots the entire game, that is awesome.
Bateman broke into the scoring line, good for him.
I know PB does not like to hear this but, Lafayette was not a good team.
Duke is struggling, this could be our year

[GreyingHound]

this may sound crazy... but Duke could be a winnable game???

Duke has looked vulnerable this year in a lot of their games. Maybe this 2020 team can perform like what they've been doing the past 3 games and squeek out a win

Thanks for the jinx.

(never talk poorly about an upcoming opponent unless done in jest)

just starting a preview discussion! This the game that gets us every year. Haven't won a game against them since the 2016 first round

I guess that depends on your perspective. We've pretty much been alternating wins with Duke for a decade. We crushed them in 2012, 2014, and in the post-season in 2016. In 2013, lost by 1 with an injury-riddled squad during the regular season, and then lost in 2OT in the post-season. We only broke the alternating pattern in 2018.

[laxbro11]

I am as happy as others that the Hounds are 4-1, but i will be honest with the progress that we have made and the future. Facts do not have emotion and sometimes "lax dads" on this site will try to spin to fit their narrative.

PB here are some facts/statements:
1. We are not running an uptempo offense like we have in the past, most of our goals come from settled offense. So the excuse of you have turnovers when you run uptempo is a fallacy.
2. Shooting percentage, we did improve yesterday, but as for the first 5 games we are struggling. We are about 23% as a team. Not stellar.
3. Combined won loss record of the teams we have beaten so far is 3-15. Rutgers was just beaten by Stony Brook
4. PB you are big fans of Najee Taylor and Jack Raba. I would love your perspective on this. As you know as a player, you become better by playing in games and not so much practice. The games give you speed and the intangibles. So with the game in hand with 10 minutes left in the fourth, why are we not playing these guys to give them real time experience? Why give them one or two runs? That is not development.
5. The other comments that i have heard is that we are a young team, we are going to make mistakes. I get that. But when you make the same mistakes over and over. Is that to youth or that the player is struggling?

[TheBigIguana]

I am as happy as others that the Hounds are 4-1, but i will be honest with the progress that we have made and the future. Facts do not have emotion and sometimes "lax dads" on this site will try to spin to fit their narrative.

PB here are some facts/statements:
1. We are not running an uptempo offense like we have in the past, most of our goals come from settled offense. So the excuse of you have turnovers when you run uptempo is a fallacy.
2. Shooting percentage, we did improve yesterday, but as for the first 5 games we are struggling. We are about 23% as a team. Not stellar.
3. Combined won loss record of the teams we have beaten so far is 3-15. Rutgers was just beaten by Stony Brook
4. PB you are big fans of Najee Taylor and Jack Raba. I would love your perspective on this. As you know as a player, you become better by playing in games and not so much practice. The games give you speed and the intangibles. So with the game in hand with 10 minutes left in the fourth, why are we not playing these guys to give them real time experience? Why give them one or two runs? That is not development.
5. The other comments that i have heard is that we are a young team, we are going to make mistakes. I get that. But when you make the same mistakes over and over. Is that to youth or that the player is struggling?

The thing that is frustrating for me is when they have chances to make plays in transition and decide to not take a slight risk and hold the ball to substitute. When the team isn't playing well 6v6 those missed chances matter. There's also the total lack of early offense. It is either the rare fast break or completely waiting for the sub game to set up 6v6. I just don't think the offensive fire power is there to do that against good teams.

[Peter Brown]

I am as happy as others that the Hounds are 4-1, but i will be honest with the progress that we have made and the future. Facts do not have emotion and sometimes "lax dads" on this site will try to spin to fit their narrative.

PB here are some facts/statements:
1. We are not running an uptempo offense like we have in the past, most of our goals come from settled offense. So the excuse of you have turnovers when you run uptempo is a fallacy.
2. Shooting percentage, we did improve yesterday, but as for the first 5 games we are struggling. We are about 23% as a team. Not stellar.
3. Combined won loss record of the teams we have beaten so far is 3-15. Rutgers was just beaten by Stony Brook
4. PB you are big fans of Najee Taylor and Jack Raba. I would love your perspective on this. As you know as a player, you become better by playing in games and not so much practice. The games give you speed and the intangibles. So with the game in hand with 10 minutes left in the fourth, why are we not playing these guys to give them real time experience? Why give them one or two runs? That is not development.
5. The other comments that i have heard is that we are a young team, we are going to make mistakes. I get that. But when you make the same mistakes over and over. Is that to youth or that the player is struggling?

I don't think there is one 'lax dad' of any Loyola player who posts here. And my connection is tenuous at best...my dad was involved with the school, I didn't even go there. But I have always loved the Hounds!

Why Charlie and the position coaches decide to play (or not play) any player is their call; they know what they are doing, their record speaks for itself. I would guess Najee needs this year to get used to D1 shooting; if you look at his HS highlights, he blows by defenders and takes relatively soft shots which find net. I am guessing that the staff is working on him to create a much faster shot. YOu will hear from Najee before it's all said and done at Loyola. Raba is seeing some time and demonstrating how good he is; 2 shots, 2 goals...nice percentage.

Wigley needs to can more of his shots, that is fair.

McNulty, it can not be stressed enough, is having an AA #1 season so far.

Pacheco quietly is at .750 on FO's, though he's only taken 8. Bailey Savio is smoking it so far, winning .705. What we lost with some of our offense departing lat year, we have picked up some of that with the extra possessions that Bailey has afforded us.

One unsung hero right now is Poitras. The kid gets way more than his fair of GB's...that is an unappreciated stat for an attackman.

Duke will be very tough for us. I don't mind if we lose that one tbh; I'd prefer to win, but at 4-1, we can afford a loss. We can not, however, lose to Bucknell or Army. The PL has some very strong teams this year. Prior to starting this season, I thought the one team that would give us a fight was Bucknell. They are proving they have the goods. But Army is not much different, and Lehigh and BU look like they have fight too. Holy Cross has some game. Even Navy doesn't stink like they stunk last year. We are in for the fight of our lives.

If any kid wants some PT and they aren't getting it, I'd urge them to lay their body out for some loose GB's...leave it all on the field and don't complain about PT if you can't find a loose GB. GB's are the way to any coach's heart.

[Peter Brown]

One more shout out to Corey Millhouse. This kid has wheels and knows every time where to go on the FO. He and Savio are in sync every time.

With McNulty, find me a better threesome on a FO unit.

[NovaHound]

One more shout out to Corey Millhouse. This kid has wheels and knows every time where to go on the FO. He and Savio are in sync every time.

With McNulty, find me a better threesome on a FO unit.

I think Milhouse has improved tremendously form the beginning of the season until now. In the 3rd quarter of Saturday's game he was able to scoop the Gb and fight his way through traffic to safely clear it. In the past it would have likely been a turnover. So that's a real plus for the Hounds. he's finally getting his stick skills where they need to be.

Ditto on McNulty. He was a beast Saturday.

How about the progress made by the freshmen so far - Kamish, Poitras, and now Hueston (getting his first goal). Also good to see Raba getting some time - and goals.

Defense - interesting set up by Toomey. Looks like he's essentially playing Hughes as the "6th" man, to use a basketball reference. And it is is very effective. Keeps fresh legs on the other defenders and also helps in the man-to-man defense. Helps on different match ups. Will see how this plays out on Saturday.

Duke looks pretty good if you ask me. They run 3 legit middle lines and they have some real good Close D. Real good.

Back at ya' PB....

[GreyingHound]

I am as happy as others that the Hounds are 4-1, but i will be honest with the progress that we have made and the future. Facts do not have emotion and sometimes "lax dads" on this site will try to spin to fit their narrative.

PB here are some facts/statements:
1. We are not running an uptempo offense like we have in the past, most of our goals come from settled offense. So the excuse of you have turnovers when you run uptempo is a fallacy.

It's not a fallacy. Looking at goals scored doesn't tell this story. Just because we aren't scoring goals in transition doesn't mean we aren't trying. If we had capitalized on more of our fast-break opportunities, they would show up in the stats as goals scored in transition, but since we're failing to connect, you're concluding that we aren't playing up-tempo.

[GreyingHound]

One more shout out to Corey Millhouse. This kid has wheels and knows every time where to go on the FO. He and Savio are in sync every time.

With McNulty, find me a better threesome on a FO unit.

I think Milhouse has improved tremendously form the beginning of the season until now. In the 3rd quarter of Saturday's game he was able to scoop the Gb and fight his way through traffic to safely clear it. In the past it would have likely been a turnover. So that's a real plus for the Hounds. he's finally getting his stick skills where they need to be.

Ditto on McNulty. He was a beast Saturday.

How about the progress made by the freshmen so far - Kamish, Poitras, and now Hueston (getting his first goal). Also good to see Raba getting some time - and goals.

Defense - interesting set up by Toomey. Looks like he's essentially playing Hughes as the "6th" man, to use a basketball reference. And it is is very effective. Keeps fresh legs on the other defenders and also helps in the man-to-man defense. Helps on different match ups. Will see how this plays out on Saturday.

Duke looks pretty good if you ask me. They run 3 legit middle lines and they have some real good Close D. Real good.

Back at ya' PB....

I agree with all of these points. The Duke/Richmond game on Friday was the most entertaining game I've seen all season. As always, Duke has some serious weapons. Once they figure out how to put them together, they will be formidable. That usually happens right about now in the season. The huge freshman #51 is a handful. I also understand now how Richmond was able to "beat" us in the preseason scrimmage. Just like when he was at Loyola, Chemotti's squad is disciplined and well coached.

I really like what Toomey did yesterday with the changes on the second and third midfield lines. The second line of Bateman, Cox, and James looked great! I'm really impressed with what I've seen from James so far.

[Peter Brown]

One more shout out to Corey Millhouse. This kid has wheels and knows every time where to go on the FO. He and Savio are in sync every time.

With McNulty, find me a better threesome on a FO unit.

I think Milhouse has improved tremendously form the beginning of the season until now. In the 3rd quarter of Saturday's game he was able to scoop the Gb and fight his way through traffic to safely clear it. In the past it would have likely been a turnover. So that's a real plus for the Hounds. he's finally getting his stick skills where they need to be.

Ditto on McNulty. He was a beast Saturday.

How about the progress made by the freshmen so far - Kamish, Poitras, and now Hueston (getting his first goal). Also good to see Raba getting some time - and goals.

Defense - interesting set up by Toomey. Looks like he's essentially playing Hughes as the "6th" man, to use a basketball reference. And it is is very effective. Keeps fresh legs on the other defenders and also helps in the man-to-man defense. Helps on different match ups. Will see how this plays out on Saturday.

Duke looks pretty good if you ask me. They run 3 legit middle lines and they have some real good Close D. Real good.

Back at ya' PB....

I agree with all of these points. The Duke/Richmond game on Friday was the most entertaining game I've seen all season. As always, Duke has some serious weapons. Once they figure out how to put them together, they will be formidable. That usually happens right about now in the season. The huge freshman #51 is a handful. I also understand now how Richmond was able to "beat" us in the preseason scrimmage. Just like when he was at Loyola, Chemotti's squad is disciplined and well coached.

I really like what Toomey did yesterday with the changes on the second and third midfield lines. The second line of Bateman, Cox, and James looked great! I'm really impressed with what I've seen from James so far.

Poitras ought to reliably inform our defense how to best defend Dyson Williams since they played with each other at Hill for a few years. I'd stick Wyers on Dyson; tall, rangy, fast, also a Canadian. And if Cam has a penalty, get Railey on him, assuming Railey is healthy. If not Railey, a combo of Johnson and McNulty. We have so many defensive options, unlike most of D1; every coach in the US envies Matt Dwan.

Let's get at'em, boys!!!! Really looking forward to this one!

[loyola11]

Don’t read the board for a couple days and...

I see pb and laxbros points. We are struggling at some points of our game. We cannot use Lafayette as a. Benchmark. We are 4-1. But the teams we have beaten will be sun 500 teams At the end of season.

I think what laxbro was alluding at with playtime at Lafayette is the game was well in hand why risk injury when he have good players that should be developed. What would we be saying if lindley or Olmstead got hurt during that time period especially with weather conditions I was cold watching it

Duke will be tough. They traditionally are bigger and Stronger than us. This week prep is key. We need to be ready to play fast and defense to play physical.

Keep turnovers below 12. Make good decisions and good passes. IMO our passes have been off which effects our transition offenses. They are low or too high or just a little behind. Take care of that and we will be running and gunning

[Peter Brown]

Don’t read the board for a couple days and...

I see pb and laxbros points. We are struggling at some points of our game. We cannot use Lafayette as a. Benchmark. We are 4-1. But the teams we have beaten will be sun 500 teams At the end of season.

I think what laxbro was alluding at with playtime at Lafayette is the game was well in hand why risk injury when he have good players that should be developed. What would we be saying if lindley or Olmstead got hurt during that time period especially with weather conditions I was cold watching it

Duke will be tough. They traditionally are bigger and Stronger than us. This week prep is key. We need to be ready to play fast and defense to play physical.

Keep turnovers below 12. Make good decisions and good passes. IMO our passes have been off which effects our transition offenses. They are low or too high or just a little behind. Take care of that and we will be running and gunning

The flip side to that (above highlighted) is you can use the extra time to get your starting offense to gel in a real game situation. I bet Charlie and Van Arsdale were thinking that. And if you look at the outcome, that was not a bad choice. The offense really started to click. Let's see if it carries over to this Saturday.

The forecasted BALTIMORE temperature will be almost 20 degrees warmer than last Saturday in Easton; that will help us.

[NovaHound]

Don’t read the board for a couple days and...

I see pb and laxbros points. We are struggling at some points of our game. We cannot use Lafayette as a. Benchmark. We are 4-1. But the teams we have beaten will be sun 500 teams At the end of season.

I think what laxbro was alluding at with playtime at Lafayette is the game was well in hand why risk injury when he have good players that should be developed. What would we be saying if lindley or Olmstead got hurt during that time period especially with weather conditions I was cold watching it

Duke will be tough. They traditionally are bigger and Stronger than us. This week prep is key. We need to be ready to play fast and defense to play physical.

Keep turnovers below 12. Make good decisions and good passes. IMO our passes have been off which effects our transition offenses. They are low or too high or just a little behind. Take care of that and we will be running and gunning

The flip side to that (above highlighted) is you can use the extra time to get your starting offense to gel in a real game situation. I bet Charlie and Van Arsdale were thinking that. And if you look at the outcome, that was not a bad choice. The offense really started to click. Let's see if it carries over to this Saturday.

The forecasted BALTIMORE temperature will be almost 20 degrees warmer than last Saturday in Easton; that will help us.

Almost halfway through the season when the Hounds play Duke this weekend. Believe by now the freshmen know the speed of the game. They are beginning to contribute in a more meaningful way. This will be a big test and with a good week of preparation and better execution on Saturday Hounds should be competitive. Watched some of the Duke-Furman game. Duke has some big - aggressive - defenders, and it will be interesting to see how the Attack match up against them. Conversely, will be interesting to see the defensive packages put in by Toomey and Dwan. If Hounds limit turnovers and Goalie has a good day then I think we have a chance to be successful.

Gonna be much warmer than Easton, PA, so I'll just enjoy the game and hope for the best. I consider this game a toss Up.

[loyola11]

Don’t read the board for a couple days and...

I see pb and laxbros points. We are struggling at some points of our game. We cannot use Lafayette as a. Benchmark. We are 4-1. But the teams we have beaten will be sun 500 teams At the end of season.

I think what laxbro was alluding at with playtime at Lafayette is the game was well in hand why risk injury when he have good players that should be developed. What would we be saying if lindley or Olmstead got hurt during that time period especially with weather conditions I was cold watching it

Duke will be tough. They traditionally are bigger and Stronger than us. This week prep is key. We need to be ready to play fast and defense to play physical.

Keep turnovers below 12. Make good decisions and good passes. IMO our passes have been off which effects our transition offenses. They are low or too high or just a little behind. Take care of that and we will be running and gunning

The flip side to that (above highlighted) is you can use the extra time to get your starting offense to gel in a real game situation. I bet Charlie and Van Arsdale were thinking that. And if you look at the outcome, that was not a bad choice. The offense really started to click. Let's see if it carries over to this Saturday.

The forecasted BALTIMORE temperature will be almost 20 degrees warmer than last Saturday in Easton; that will help us.

I get it, risk vs reward, more psychological,
but if you watched the game, Lafayette d was horrible.

[Peter Brown]

Don’t read the board for a couple days and...

I see pb and laxbros points. We are struggling at some points of our game. We cannot use Lafayette as a. Benchmark. We are 4-1. But the teams we have beaten will be sun 500 teams At the end of season.

I think what laxbro was alluding at with playtime at Lafayette is the game was well in hand why risk injury when he have good players that should be developed. What would we be saying if lindley or Olmstead got hurt during that time period especially with weather conditions I was cold watching it

Duke will be tough. They traditionally are bigger and Stronger than us. This week prep is key. We need to be ready to play fast and defense to play physical.

Keep turnovers below 12. Make good decisions and good passes. IMO our passes have been off which effects our transition offenses. They are low or too high or just a little behind. Take care of that and we will be running and gunning

The flip side to that (above highlighted) is you can use the extra time to get your starting offense to gel in a real game situation. I bet Charlie and Van Arsdale were thinking that. And if you look at the outcome, that was not a bad choice. The offense really started to click. Let's see if it carries over to this Saturday.

The forecasted BALTIMORE temperature will be almost 20 degrees warmer than last Saturday in Easton; that will help us.

I get it, risk vs reward, more psychological,
but if you watched the game, Lafayette d was horrible.

loyola11:

Rather than say Lafayette's defense was "horrible", perhaps a better way to say this is, 'Loyola's offense was clicking'. It's a more pleasant way to make a point, and certainly more in line with our fan base.

The only exception to this rule is if you are having fun with a post; I like to kid Hop, but all in jest and fully aware that Hop has a history which is unequaled in the sport.

For Hounds fans, let's respect all players out there; there are no gimme's in D1, every opponent is solid. When we win, that's on us, not the opponent.

Onward to Saturday!

[Peter Brown]

This Hounds team is the easiest team to cheer for in D1! I just love our depth on defense, LSM, and SSDM. What a treat!

Who is my Hounds pick of the week to excel this weekend? Cam Wyers. I think he gets Dyson Williams and I think he excels at the matchup.

Duke is an odd team and kinda hard to figure out. They're not a very good fourth quarter team, which sometimes is a sign of overall team weakness. Their offense seems to race in spurts rather than play like a well-oiled machine. Williams has frankly saved them on occasion. Like us, I believe they are also still trying to find their rhythm. Unlike us, I'm not sure they'll discover it before season's end.

Duke's FOGO has put up decent numbers, but I think Bailey will handle business there on Saturday. In their loss to Air Force, Duke dominated at the FO spot yet still lost that game.

if there is a deciding difference this weekend between the two teams, I think it will be at the goalie position. Duke's two-headed goalie situation has been suspect, whereas Sam has been stellar. I'll be looking at that spot to see what is going on. If we are behind going into the fourth quarter, don't turn away from the game, or leave the stands. The Blue Devils have been outscored in the 4Q in every game of note.

This is a tough game to predict. I like our chances, but Duke is good enough to take the W.

Let's go Hounds!!!!

[NovaHound]

This Hounds team is the easiest team to cheer for in D1! I just love our depth on defense, LSM, and SSDM. What a treat!

Who is my Hounds pick of the week to excel this weekend? Cam Wyers. I think he gets Dyson Williams and I think he excels at the matchup.

Duke is an odd team and kinda hard to figure out. They're not a very good fourth quarter team, which sometimes is a sign of overall team weakness. Their offense seems to race in spurts rather than play like a well-oiled machine. Williams has frankly saved them on occasion. Like us, I believe they are also still trying to find their rhythm. Unlike us, I'm not sure they'll discover it before season's end.

Duke's FOGO has put up decent numbers, but I think Bailey will handle business there on Saturday. In their loss to Air Force, Duke dominated at the FO spot yet still lost that game.

if there is a deciding difference this weekend between the two teams, I think it will be at the goalie position. Duke's two-headed goalie situation has been suspect, whereas Sam has been stellar. I'll be looking at that spot to see what is going on. If we are behind going into the fourth quarter, don't turn away from the game, or leave the stands. The Blue Devils have been outscored in the 4Q in every game of note.

This is a tough game to predict. I like our chances, but Duke is good enough to take the W.

Let's go Hounds!!!!

Yeah - gonna be a tough matchup. Just watched the Duke - Richmond highlights. Duke looks awfully scary to me, especially #51 Williams. Guess it will be Wyers guarding him. Just going to have to play great team defense and the SSDMs might be the key to the game along with Shaffer. Believe we win the possession battle but the shots have to fall. If there was ever a time for Wigley to break out of his shooting slump it would be Saturday. Hounds definitely need all hands on deck for this game and I know they will be pumped up for it. Statistically - if we improve our shooting percentage we should do well, but Duke might do better. It might come down to the small things that determine the outcome; one less turnover, finally getting that last second shot to score, or one big Save. Same Same for the coaches - having the right matchups, most efficient middle lines, timeouts at the right time. My ultimate prediction is that McNulty and Swindell will be too tired to walk afterwards, and Olmstead and Lindley will be black and blue and grabbing some aspirin after the game. This is going to be an awesome game. Go Hounds!!