WORCESTER, Mass. – Loyola University Maryland scored the first half's last two goals, and it opened the second with seven-straight to run away with a 15-6 Patriot League victory at College of the Holy Cross on Saturday at Kuzinewski Field.
Adam Poitras set a career-high with eight points on four goals and a personal-best four assists, while
Matthew Minicus added three goals and four assists.
Evan James was a third Greyhounds player with a hat trick, scoring three and adding an assist, while
Dylan Binney scored twice and
Joey Kamish had two assists.
A Matt Major goal for Holy Cross with 2:18 left in the first half drew the Crusaders within a goal, 6-5, but
Trent Turner buried a shot into the low, left corner off a Poitras assist just 31 seconds later, and then Binney scored with 13 ticks to go in the half on a Kamish feed, putting Loyola in front, 8-5.
The Greyhounds did not let up in the third quarter as Poitras came away with a contested ground ball on the win of the first faceoff. He got into the box, switched hands and scored high 11 seconds into the half. Loyola won the next faceoff, as well, and James scored 35 seconds later with a Minicus assist.
James added a second goal in a row 61 seconds after his first of the half, and Minicus added one at 11:39 to make it five in a row for the Greyhounds.
Minicus then scored on extra-man at 10:14, and Poitras added a man-up goal with 8:05 to play in the third.
Will McCulloch scored on a Minicus assist 1:55 before the end of the third quarter, stretching the lead to 15-5.
Binney scored the game's first goal 2:17 into the contest, and Poitras added another 1:20 later.
Holy Cross struck back with a John Mitchell extra-man goal at 8:05 in the first, but then Loyola scored the next two for a 4-1 lead after tallies by James and Poitras.
The Crusaders, however, reeled off a 3-0 run with Sam McDonald's goal tying it at 4-4 before the end of the first quarter.
Luke Murphy added his first of the day 7:41 into the second quarter, and Minicus scored his first of the day with a
Davis Lindsey assist less than a minute later, and Loyola was up, 6-4.
Max Watkinson made his second-straight start and finished with a career-high 11 saves.
Carson Hall and
Chase Gregory both had six ground balls, while
Remi Reynolds,
Alex Bean and Watkinson each had three.
Loyola will stay on the road for its next game, a 7 p.m. contest at the U.S. Naval Academy on Friday, April 19. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
