ANNAPOLIS, Md. –
Josh Fairey's first career goal for Loyola University Maryland 1:57 into the second half tied the game at 7-7, but the U.S. Naval Academy scored the next three goals and went on to a 12-10 victory over the Greyhounds in the Patriot League Championships quarterfinal round at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Max McGillicuddy intercepted a skip pass on the interior of the defense and cleared it himself. Fairey ran with him, and McGillicuddy slipped him a pass for a sidearm shot that found the net to tie the game.
McGillicuddy's caused turnover was one of his career-high three and one of Loyola's season-best 16. It was the most caused turnovers by the Greyhounds since posting 16 in a 2014 win over Towson University.
Navy went back in front, 8-7, with a Carter Ash man-up goal less than two minutes later, and Dane Swanson scored from left point with a Tommy Hovivian assist with 1:37 left in the third quarter, giving the Midshipmen their first two-goal lead, 9-7, since they were up 2-0 midway through the first quarter.
Neither team scored for more than 12 minutes under Xavier Arline restarted from the endline with six on the shot clock and scored backhanded with 5:18 left in regulation. That gave the Midshipmen the first three-goal lead for either team in the game.
Carson Hall pushed out the ensuing faceoff, and
Adam Poitras came up with the ground ball for Loyola.
Chase Gregory absorbed a big hit at the top of the box, but he got a pass to
Evan James on the low left side, and James scored 13 seconds after Arline to make it a 10-8 game.
Navy had a response, however, as Ash caught a Jack Flaherty pass on the interior to dump in a goal with 3:06 left, and the lead was back to three.
Matt Heuston responded for Loyola, scoring his second unassisted goal of the game, coming down the right alley for an overhand shot at 2:36.
Loyola doubled the ball on Navy's next possession, and with the goalie out of the crease, Jon Jarosz hit a shot for Navy with 1:25 on the clock, making it a three-goal lead again.
Navy won the next faceoff, but
Seth Higgins intercepted a pass on the defensive end, carried it forward to clear and found James again on the left side for a goal with 60 seconds left. Loyola gained possession again when James picked up the ground ball on the faceoff, but the Greyhounds could not get closer than 12-10.
James and Poitras both finished with three goals, extending their hat-trick streaks. Poitras finished his career with hat tricks in each of his last eight games, and James had three or more goals in his last seven.
James gained sole possession of fifth-place on Loyola's all-time goals scored list with 131, and Poitras finished his career with 120, tying Gewas Schindler for seventh. Poitras' 177 career points tied him for 10
th all-time with Justin Ward, and James was one behind in 12
th place with 176.
The duo helped Loyola overcome an early 2-0 deficit and take a 4-2 lead.
Navy scored the first two in the opening seven minutes, but Poitras scored three in a row over a two-minute stretch that saw Loyola go up, 3-2. James added his first of the night with a goal at 3:43 in the first quarter, but Navy would come back to even the game with goals by Hovivian and Paul Garza to end the first.
Heuston and
Matthew Minicus bookended two goals by Navy with a pair for Loyola, and it was tied 6-6 after Minicus' tally at 8:46 in the second quarter. Hewitt, however, scored 27 seconds later, and the Midshipmen eventually took a 7-6 lead to the locker room at halftime.
Among Loyola's 16 caused turnovers, McGillicuddy had three to lead the way, while
Mustang Sally,
Joe Houlihan,
Remi Reynolds and
Luke Staudt all had two. Houlihan had a career-high six ground balls to lead Loyola. Staudt made 15 saves in the season finale.
