The last time we caught the women’s lacrosse team was in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where they suffered a 14-8 loss to Duke and sealed their season with a 14-6 record. Since then, the Lady Hounds have graduated three crucial starters all across the board: attacker Maddy Blakeman, defender Maddy Lesher, and goalkeeper Molly Wolf.

The hole that Wolf leaves behind is the biggest matter that Loyola must address heading into 2017. The team’s two replacement options are Kady Glynn ’19 and Taylor Caldwell ’17, but neither of the two have clocked much playing time. Caldwell has only touched the field in 18 games and Glynn subbed in five times during her rookie year, both a stark comparison to the 83 career starts held by Wolf. Early indications are that Loyola will most likely go with Glynn in goal.

With the new year come fresh players, as Loyola inaugurates a new talented class that boasts Holly Lloyd (Hill Academy, Ont.), a Team Canada member and Inside Lacrosse’s No. 15 recruit.

Even without Blakeman, the Hounds return a stacked offensive line up with the return of veterans Hannah Powers ’19 (33 goals, 23 assists) and Frankie Kamely ’18 (37 goals) in addition to midfielder Sabrina Tabasso ’18, an Inside Lacrosse 2017 Face-Off Yearbook All-American.

Midfielder Taylor Vanthof ’19 has a promising future ahead of her on the draw circle: during fall ball games against Maryland and Penn, the “middie” proved she can play with the best of them and should not be overlooked in 2017.

As always, you can expect the Lady Hounds to tremendously outperform in the Patriot League. Since joining the Patriot League, Loyola has not lost a single game and we have an undefeated stronghold on the conference.

Loyola will open the season at home, hosting Charles Street rival Johns Hopkins on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Last year, the two teams battled into double overtime in the Blue Jays’ home opener, with the Hounds clinching an 8-7 victory.