The nationally ranked Men’s Lacrosse Greyhounds will be taking on the Towson Tigers this Saturday at noon. The Hounds are 1-0, earning their first victory against Navy in a 9-8 win at the beautiful Ridley Athletic Complex. As the Hounds travel north on Charles Street to play the Tigers, they will have huge expectations riding on their backs. After finishing in the 1st round of the NCAA Championship losing to Cornell, they have the expectations of the Coach Charley Toomey, who in his sixth season is 28-7, and the fans at Loyola University who care so much for the Division I Lacrosse Team.
In order to gain another victory for this week’s game, the Hounds will have to continue to do what they normally do best: play great offensively. Mike Sawyer and Patrick Fanshaw had combined to score give goals from the attack. D.J. Comer, Davis Butts, and Stephen Murray, midi’s or mid fielders, had helped by lobbying in 4 combined goals. Matt Langan and Chris Basler lead this team in assists and with their continued work, Sawyer, Fanshaw, and company will continue to beat the goalie and rank up the points for the Hounds. The Hounds had come back late in the second half, a normal trend that seemed to follow them last year in 2010. The Hounds will have to continue making half time adjustments like the ones they made in the Navy game, allowing the offense to put up 4 unanswered goals to take an 8-7 lead in the third quarter.
Along with offense, the Men’s Lacrosse team will have to continue supporting a special player of theirs. Jake Hagelin, goal keeper, was named ECAC Goalkeeper of the Year. He earned such a great award when he had held teams to an average 7.93 goals per game. He was sixth in the NCAA in goals against average at 8.25. Having such a talented goal keeper also makes the Defensive players have more confidence that in case they do fail and the Long Poles can’t stop an attacker, Hagelin will be there to make the stop.
Towson may not offer much resist to the juggernaut, but the Hounds must tread lightly. With expectations being so high this year, with fans wanting more from these men, they can not afford to mess up at any point. Whether it is improving faceoffs or getting better at moving up the field and getting ahead, the Hounds will have to do whatever it takes to make sure that those issues are addressed. If there is one person that can make this team better, it is Toomey.
The game will be televised live on ABC-2 and ESPN3.com. Also, fans can listen to the game on WNST-AM.
Follow Loyola Sports at www.loyolagreyhounds.com or follow us here with sports at WLOY.org. Also, listen to Couch Potato Radio on Mondays and Fridays from 2-3PM!
Have any questions or want a specific sports topic highlighted? Email wloysports@loyola.edu or call 410.617.5313.
