BALTIMORE – The 18th-ranked Loyola University Maryland men's lacrosse responded to a 4-0 run to start the game by No. 15 Army West Point with one of its own, and the teams headed to the second quarter tied, but the Black Knights built a 9-5 halftime lead and went on a 15-9 Patriot League victory on Saturday at Ridley Athletic Complex.
Army West Point (9-2 overall, 5-2 Patriot League) jumped out to a 4-0 lead following two goals within five seconds after Brayden Fountain scored at 6:22 and Robert Simone won the ensuing faceoff and scored at 6:17.
The Greyhounds (8-5, 5-2), however, got on the board when
Mike Brescia rolled the crease from behind and scored his first collegiate goal at 4:16.
That sparked a 4-0 run for Loyola that would see
Matthew Minicus score the next two, and an unassisted tally by
Connor Wilbur at 1:35 evened the score at 4-4.
The Black Knights got the first two of the second quarter behind strikes from Gunnar Fellows and Sam Ralston, but
Luke Murphy got free down the left alley for a low-angle shot and goal with 8:43 on the clock, drawing the Greyhounds within one, 6-5.
Army West Point would score three more before the half ended, and then the Black Knights added the first two of the third quarter to lead, 11-5, with 7:33 left in that frame.
Mason Cook and Minicus scored back-to-back unassisted goals for Loyola, and it was an 11-7 Army West Point lead with 13:40 left in regulation, but Fellows and Hill Plunkett added Black Knights goals, and it was a six-goal margin.
The Black Knights had a 46-28 advantage in shots with nine players scoring goals in the game.
Minicus had a team-high five points on four goals and an assist.
The Greyhounds will close the regular-season on Friday, April 24, with a 7 p.m. game against the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The game will air live nationally on CBS Sports Network.
