Finnerty Sparks Loyola Over Towson
from press release
BALTIMORE - Loyola jumped out to an early 4-0
lead after the first period and was able to sustain the momentum
from that point, using four goals and an assist from attackman
Collin Finnerty and a pair from Matt Langan to down neighbor
Towson, 11-8, on Saturday in the Greyhounds' home opener at Diane
Geppi-Aikens Field in front of 2,436 fans.
For Finnerty, the performance marked the second consecutive game in
which the junior has scored five points on four goals--three of
them coming in the first quarter. He also scored five in Loyola's
season opener against Notre Dame last weekend in Atlanta.
The home win puts 16th-ranked Loyola at 1-1 and gets the team set
for a slate of three consecutive road games, starting next weekend
at Penn State in its ECAC opener.
"I have to give our team credit," Head Coach Charley Toomey said.
"Anytime Loyola and Towson square off, you know it's going to be a
tough, physical matchup. Our kids came out and played with a lot of
effort and energy and it's great to get this victory."
Finnerty earned points on Loyola's first three goals and Loyola led
4-0 after the first quarter. He got the scoring started just 1:03
into the game with an unassisted goal. Sophomore Eric Lusby doubled
the Loyola lead, 2-0, at the 8:07 mark as he scored with assist
from Finnerty.
Four minutes later, Finnerty would again find the net with another
unassisted tally. Then, midfielder Jimmy Daly closed out the 4-0
spurt with a goal with just 50 seconds remaining in the period.
Towson (0-1) attackman Tim Stratton put the Tigers on the board
4:07 into the second period, and Bill McCutcheon trimmed the Loyola
lead to 4-2 three minutes later.
The Greyhounds would receive a bit of luck on their next goal, as a
Towson defender passed it back to keeper Rob Wheeler--who wasn't
ready for the lateral--and the pass rolled into the cage, resulting
in a Loyola team goal and a 5-2 Greyhounds' lead.
Just 21 seconds before halftime, Finnerty snuck into the interior
of the defense and received a pass from Cooper MacDonnell, burying
his attempt high past Wheeler to give Loyola a 6-2 lead going into
intermission.
"Collin is really playing some of his best lacrosse right now. He's
playing with a lot of confidence and when he gets himself set to
shoot, he can be very tough to defend," Toomey said.
Junior attackman Cooper MacDonnell opened up the third period with
a goal from sophomore Matt Langan. After a Towson goal by Sean
Maguire brought Towson within four, 7-3, Loyola closed out the
period with a pair of goals from Langan.
First, he made a diving attempt from the top of the crease to beat
the goalie with 5:35 remaining for his first goal of the season.
Just three minutes later, Langan took a long feed from freshman
Mike Sawyer and beat Wheeler low to stretch the Loyola lead to
9-3.
A pair of goal by Towson's Matt Lamon opened up the fourth period
and brought the Tiger's within 9-5, but Loyola quickly
responded.
On the ensuing face-off after Lamon's second goal, John Schiavone
earned the win and drove upfield, dishing off to Finnerty, who
netted his fourth goal of the day and eighth of the season. A
minute later--with 12:23 remaining--Sawyer earned his first
collegiate goal, swooping on the right side of the field and
zipping a shot into the upper-left portion of the cage to put
Loyola back up, 11-5.
Towson's Brock Armour scored an unassisted goal with 8:27 to play,
and the Tiger's would earn scores in the final two minutes from
Maguire and Mitchell Rosensweig to round out the scoring.
Towson outshot Loyola, 37-35, as sophomore Jake Hagelin made 13
saves in the cage for the Greyhounds. The Greyhounds picked up 44
groundballs--with P.T. Ricci and Taylor Ebsary both picking up
eight for team-high honors.
Loyola won 11 of 23 face-offs, with Schiavone going 11-for-22 and
senior Michael Atkinson 0-1.
