Women's Lacrosse Sees Comeback Fall Short Against No. 5 Loyola

Saturday, March 16

West Point, NY

3:00 PM

Army West Point

2-6, 0-1Patriot

Loyola University Maryland

7-0, 1-0Patriot

LOYOLA

ARMY

Women's Lacrosse Sees Comeback Fall Short Against No. 5 Loyola

March 16, 2024 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

WEST POINT, NY - Army West Point women's lacrosse (2-6, 0-1 Patriot League) came back from seven goals down to tie the game against No. 5 Loyola Maryland (7-0, 2-0 Patriot League) before the Greyhounds eventually survived by a final score of 14-13.

The Black Knights fell behind 10-3 late in the second quarter, with Loyola's perfect regular season record throughout their tenure in the Patriot League was then put to the test as Army stormed all the way back to tie the game at twelve in the third quarter.

Allison Reilly led the Black Knights with five goals on the day including three from the eight-meter out of five free-position attempts. Brigid Duffy had three goals with all three coming as part of Army's third quarter comeback, with the star sophomore also logging a team-high six draw controls. Lindsey Serafine made nine saves in the cage for Army, including three key stops late in the third quarter to keep it a one-goal game when Army trailed 14-13.

Loyola came out looking the part of the number five team in the country, jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead less than nine minutes into the game. Reilly kept Army in the game with a pair of goals, the second coming on a free-position shot, getting Army on the scoreboard in the first. A Chase Boyle free-position goal with seven seconds left made it a 6-2 Loyola lead after one.

Loyola scored the first three of the second frame, eventually getting out to a commanding 10-3 lead with eight minutes left in the half. Army's defense then held the Greyhounds scoreless for the final eight minutes, moving into halftime with a 10-5 scoreline as Reilly and Sarah Chernik converted from the eight-meter.

The teams traded the first four goals of the second half, with Loyola leading 12-7 as Duffy scored her first for Army while Julia Gorajek notched her second which also marked her 100th career goal. Over the ensuing seven-minute stretch, the Black Knights scored five unanswered goals to tie the game up at twelve.

Duffy got her second of the game from a free-position shot to get it started, with Lily Valentini then also converting from the eight-meter for Army's sixth 8M goal of the game. Reilly notched the next two, with the first coming off a feed from Gorajek and the second being her third eight-meter conversion on four attempts. With Army's defense continuing to get stops, Duffy tied the game with 3:40 remaining in the third after taking a layoff from Gabrielle Mirak. A goal from Loyola's Anna Ruby made it a 13-12 advantage for the road side entering the fourth quarter.

Both teams dug in defensively in tightly-contested final frame, with Chase Boyle scoring her fifth of the game in the first minute to give Loyola a 14-12 lead. The score remained just that for over eight minutes, with Army holding firm after being a woman-down for two minutes. Valentini eventually got one back for Army with 6:22 to play, taking a pass from Reilly and depositing Army's first of the quarter.

A Loyola green card saw an opportunity for Army to tie the game, as Duffy eventually had a pair of free-position shots, which Army was seven-for-ten on in the game, to tie the score. Loyola was able to get a block and save on both attempts to maintain the lead, eventually gaining possession with just over three minutes to play. Serafine came up as clutch as possible in the closing minutes, making a pair of saves to keep it a one-goal game, with Loyola being first to the ensuing ground balls. After an Army yellow card with a minute to play, Loyola was able to see out the remainder of the clock, avoiding its first ever regular season conference loss in the Patriot League.

Loyola's number-one draw control percentage in the country paid dividends, as the Greyhounds won 19 of 29 on the day including all three in the final quarter. Army scored its 13 goals on just 24 total shot attempts, as Loyola outshot the Black Knights 34-24 altogether.

Army will turn its focus to Lafayette, hosting the Leopards next Saturday at Michie Stadium with opening draw set for noon on ESPN+.