BALTIMORE – A Lafayette goal with less than seven minutes left in regulation proved to be the difference Saturday in an 11-10 Leopards win over Loyola University Maryland men's lacrosse at Ridley Athletic Complex.
Riley Sullivan scored unassisted off the left side to give the Leopards a one-goal margin. The Greyhounds had four possessions after the score came with 6:49 to play, but none resulted in a goal.
The Leopards jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first 5:30 of the game with goals by Jack Massotto and Liam Sargent, but Loyola opened the second quarter with four unanswered in less than four minutes to take a 4-2 lead.
Luke Murphy and
Matthew Minicus paired for a Murphy goal on the inside right side 43 ticks into the frame to put Loyola on the board.
The Greyhounds won the ensuing faceoff and took the ball back to the defensive end to start a clear.
Remi Reynolds shot on goal from more than 70 yards out and scored against the Leopards' 10-man ride at 13:51, tying the game at 2-2.
With just under 12 minutes to go before halftime, Minicus threw a pass through the heart of the defense to
Ryan McGorry on the left side. McGorry caught the pass off-balance and shot from his knees and while falling to the ground, finding the net inside the far post at 11:51 to put the Greyhounds in front.
Brady Quinn added the fourth goal 34 seconds later, and Loyola led 4-2.
Lafayette came back to lead 5-4 on a Joseph Duggan goal with 2:32 left in the half, but
Brady West scored on an extra-man opportunity with 1:28 on the clock, and the teams went to the locker room tied at the break.
Will McCulloch added a goal off
Henry Haberman's second-straight assist 70 seconds into the second half, and Loyola was in front by two, 6-5. Joshua Heaney, however, converted at 11:42 for the Leopards, and P.J. Hodge scored in transition at 8:34 to regain the lead for Lafayette.
The advantage would be short-lived for the Leopards when Minicus scored with a McCulloch assist at 7:32, and the game was even at 7-7.
John Gailbraith converted a goal for the Leopards with 2:40 to go in the third, and Lafayette led 8-7. That goal kicked off a stretch where each team scored twice before the stanza ended.
Mason Cook tied it with an extra-man goal for Loyola off Haberman's career-high third assist of the game, and then with 31 seconds on the clock, Benjamin DiBattista found the net for Lafayette to lead 9-8.
Quinn dodged from the right side and scored high-to-high with just over nine seconds left in the third, and the teams again headed to the next quarter tied.
DiBattista scored his game-high third goal 38 seconds into the fourth quarter, staking Lafayette to a 10-9 lead.
Cook drew a holding flag against the Leopards, and he converted on the man-up with a Minicus top-down from a step outside the box with 12:34 on the clock, and the game was tied for the eighth time.
Cook and Quinn both finished with two goals, while Minicus and Haberman had three assists each. Minicus led Loyola with four points.
The Greyhounds finished with a 35-27 advantage in ground balls and a 13-12 margin in faceoff wins.
Carson Hall won 13 of 24 faceoffs and had six ground balls.
Joe Houlihan led Loyola defensive with career highs of seven ground balls and five caused turnovers.
Loyola will return to the road for its next three games starting with a Saturday, March 29, contest at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
