BALTIMORE – Bailey Savio became the Patriot League and Loyola University Maryland career record-holder in faceoffs won on Saturday afternoon, eclipsing the mark of 709 his brother Graham totaled in his tenure with the Greyhounds, but the U.S. Military Academy outscored Loyola, 7-4 in the final quarter for a 14-12 conference win.
 
Savio went 18 of 29 with 10 ground balls in the game to raise his faceoff-win total to 714. Last week, he became the Patriot League's all-time leader in ground balls and now has 415 in his career.
 
His work at the dot helped Loyola take a three-goal lead in the second quarter and a 6-4 advantage at halftime.
 
Army West Point's Bobby Abshire and Kevin Lindley traded goals for the teams in the first two-plus minutes of the second half. Abshire dodged for a goal, and then Savio won the ensuing faceoff, ran it into and threw to Aidan Olmstead. He then hit Lindley on the crease for a quick-stick goal seven seconds later, making it 7-5 Loyola at 12:44.
 
The Black Knights (7-2 overall, 3-1 Patriot League) scored two-straight on unassisted tallies by Jacob Morin and Abshire to tie the game for the first time when Abshire's third of the game made it 7-7.
 
Loyola reclaimed the lead, however, with 66 ticks left in the third as Seth Higgins dodged to his left and scored to put Loyola back in front.
 
The lead was shortlived, however, once the fourth quarter started as Morin scored unassisted 39 seconds into the frame. Brendan Nichtern then gave Army West Point its first lead of the game with back-to-back unassisted goals at 11:57 and 10:03.
 
Paul Johnson stretched the lead to three, 11-8, with an unassisted goal at 9:26, but Savio won the next faceoff cleanly and scored his second goal of the year six seconds later to get Loyola back within one.
 
Reese Burek used a Nichtern assist to score with 7:39 left in regulation, and the lead was back to three.
 
Higgins tallied his second at 6:53, but Army West Point then scored twice off Nichtern assists, first by Gunner Philipp and then by Burek.
 
Goals by Lindley and again by Higgins in the final 3:26 brough Loyola back within two, and the Greyhounds had opportunities after that, but the Black Knights were able to hold off any further advance.
 
Three Greyhounds had three goals each as Higgins matched his career-high set last week, and Evan James and Lindley each chipped in three. Higgins added an assist for four points, while Joey Kamish scored once and had two assists. Davis Lindsey also has two assists, and Aidan Olmstead had a goal and an assist.
 
On the defensive end, Payton Rezanka caused a career-high five turnovers, and Kyle LeBlanc had three.
 
Loyola (3-5, 2-1) heads on the road for its next two games, playing first at College of the Holy Cross on Saturday, April 2.