2018 Men’s Lacrosse Year in Review: #6 Loyola Greyhounds

With the 2018 college lacrosse season complete and fall ball just around the corner, it’s time to start looking back at how all 71 teams did during the season, as well as what to expect from each squad for 2019. These are not end of season rankings, as some people might think.

We’re almost done looking back to 2018 with plenty of team recaps thus far and continued our series last week with Syracuse, Virginia, Notre Dame, Cornell, and Denver.

So with that, let’s continue the recaps!

#6 Loyola Greyhounds

Conference: Patriot League
2018 Record: 13-4 (7-1 in Patriot League play)
Postseason: Defeated Boston University and Lehigh to win Patriot League, defeated Virginia in NCAA First Round, lost to Yale in NCAA Quarterfinal
Head coach: Charley Toomey (13th Year)

Statistical Leaders

Goals: Jay Drapeau (41)
Assists: Pat Spencer (59)
Points: Pat Spencer (94)
Faceoffs: Bailey Savio (96-of-211; 45.5%)
Ground balls: Ryan McNulty (53)
Caused turnovers: Foster Huggins (52)
Goals against average: Jacob Stover (8.54 GAA)
Save percentage: Jacob Stover (53.3%)

Personnel Losses

Key seniors departing: D Foster Huggins (46 GBs, 52 CTs), M Jay Drapeau (41 Gs, 9 As, 31 GBs), SSDM Brian Begley (35 GBs, 10 CTs, 5 Gs, 3 As), D Ryder Harkins (17 GBs, 14 CTs, 1 A), LSM Zac Davliakos (32 GBs, 9 CTs, 1 A), SSDM Jared Mintzlaff (13 GBs, 12 CTs, 2 Gs, 1 A), FOGO Mike Orefice (41.1% faceoff draws, 43 GBs, 9 Gs, 2 As)
Senior scoring departing: 74 of 349 points (21.2%)
Senior starts lost: 51 of 170 (30%)

Season Summary

After making it to Championship Weekend in 2016, Loyola got closer to reaching that mark once again in 2018, only to be stopped by eventual national champion Yale after winning the Patriot League championship.

The Greyhounds always have a tough first two games to kick off their season. In the annual showdown with Virginia, it needed double overtime before the Cavaliers took home the always entertaining meeting. But it wouldn’t be the only time the two teams would meet. The following week at home against crosstown rival Johns Hopkins, Loyola pulled away in the second half with a 7-1 run to crush the Blue Jays 12-5. They’d take care of Lafayette, Towson, and Holy Cross in their next three games before getting a chance to host a talented Duke team.

Despite a 3-1 lead after the first quarter, the Blue Devils took control of the game in the second quarter, scoring 10 of 12 goals between the start of the second quarter and the 13:46 mark in the fourth quarter, which included a 7-0 in the middle of that run. But Loyola took out their frustration in a convincing road win over Navy in which Pat Spencer tied a school-record with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in a single game. But the Greyhounds suffered a small slip-up in an upset loss to Bucknell despite scoring three goals in the final 5:47.

The Hounds revved up the rest of the regular season heading into the Patriot League Tournament by beating Colgate, Lehigh, Georgetown, Boston University, and Army West Point. Once again, they hosted the conference tournament and took care of BU in the semifinals and Lehigh in the conference championship thanks to big second halves by the Greyhounds on both sides of the ball. They hosted a first round matchup in the NCAA Tournament with Virginia coming back to Ridley in a rematch of the regular season opener. This time, the Greyhounds dominated the first three quarters in a 14-12 win that wasn’t as close as it seemed on paper. But their run ended at a dreary Shuart Stadium in Hofstra in the quarterfinals as Loyola was stopped by Yale, despite a remarkable 19-save performance from Jacob Stover.

The Greyhounds were the only team where all 10 players started every game of the season. But they did have a ton of contributors that also saw time during the season.

Spencer had another Tewaaraton finalist campaign with 94 points, 59 of them coming as assists. He had freshmen Aidan Olmstead and Kevin Lindley beside him at attack. Sophomore Logan Devereaux and junior Bobby Austin saw some time on the extra-man unit. At midfield, Alex McGovern moved up to the first midfield after spending last season at attack. He joined a solid unit that included senior Jay Drapeau and junior John Duffy. The second unit mainly consisted of junior P.J. Brown and sophomores Peter Swindell and Riley Cox.

The close defense was a very veteran group that consisted of seniors Foster Huggins and Ryder Harkins as well as junior Paul Volante. Huggins recorded a whopping 52 caused turnovers, which led the entire country in that category, and was a first team All-American. Sophomore Alex Johnson split time between close defense and LSM. Senior Zac Davliakos was the top LSM while sophomore Ryan McNulty was the backup long-stick, despite leading the team in ground balls and finishing second in caused turnovers. Junior Lucas Jackson saw time on the man-down unit. The Hounds had a talented duo of senior short sticks in Brian Begley and Jared Mintzlaff, while sophomore Matt Higgins was a notable contributor on that unit as well. Senior Mike Orefice and freshman Bailey Savio split faceoff draws, while junior Jacob Stover started all 17 games in goal.

Looking Ahead

The Greyhounds have Pat Spencer back for one more season, which is a very good thing. He’s definitely the best returning attackman in the country and it also helps that Olmstead and Lindley return as well. The only loss at midfield is Drapeau, but P.J. Brown was a reliable threat on the second line, scoring 16 points which was sixth on the team.

The defense has plenty of holes to fill. Volante, McNulty, Higgins, Savio, and Stover return to their respective positions. But losing two starting defensemen and two really good shorties will take a toll. Could McNulty potentially be moved to close defense or is it better off to keep him at LSM? That question may have been answered with the Hounds bringing in Mercer transfer Matt Hughes. Johnson and Jackson could be potential starters as well, but there’s a definite need for SSDMs with the loss of Begley and Mintzlaff. Spencer can carry this team a good distance, but he’ll certainly need help from the other side of the ball as well.

Here’s who the Greyhounds will be adding to their roster for next year.