BALTIMORE – Loyola University Maryland used a 5-0 run that spanned the second and third quarters to turn a 6-5 halftime lead into a 15-8 Patriot League victory over College of the Holy Cross on Saturday at Ridley Athletic Complex.
Adam Poitras scored all three of his goals during the run, and
Will McCulloch posted two goals and an assist during the stretch to lead the offense.
Holy Cross's Henry Sheehan tied the game at 5-5 with a goal at 2:29 in the second quarter, but Poitras put Loyola up with an extra-man goal 49 seconds before halftime when McCulloch found him on the crease for a dip-and-dunk goal.
Poitras' goal was the first of a 5-0 Greyhounds run that put the Greyhounds up, 10-5 on Poitras' second goal with 4:00 left in the third quarter.
Loyola started the second half quickly when
Eric Pacheco won the opening faceoff going forward. He carried it into box and threw to
Matthew Minicus on the crease where Minicus made a high catch and finished low six seconds into the half.
The Greyhounds then scored three-straight unassisted goals.
Henry Haberman scored the first, attacking from below goal line, and
Dylan Binney then face dodged his defender and got to the middle and scored at 5:44 to push the score to 9-5.
A goal 1:44 later by Poitras, on another dodge from below goal line capped the 5-0 run and extended the lead to five.
Holy Cross' Michael Bonomo broke the run with a goal at 1:49, but McCulloch added his first with 18 ticks left in the frame.
Joey Kamish scored his second of two in the game 3:14 into the fourth quarter to push the lead to 12-6, but the Crusaders scored twice with in a 53-second stretch, and it was back to four, 12-8, with 10:13 left.
From that point, however, Poitras, Haberman and McCulloch scored the last three goals of the game for Loyola.
Haberman matched Poitras' three goals. Kamish finished with two, while Minicus and
Matt Heuston both had a goal and an assist. Binney,
Evan James and
Payton Rezanka all had goals, as well.
The Greyhounds finished with a 14-27 advantage in faceoffs as Chris Cotton led the way, winning 8 of 14. Five players – Minicus, Haberman, Pacheco and
Scott Middleton – all had five ground balls.
Freeman Whitaker made his second collegiate start and had seven saves for the Greyhounds.
Loyola will continue its Patriot League homestand on Friday, April 7, with a 7 p.m. game against the U.S. Naval Academy that will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
