The long-awaited Men’s Lacrosse season opener ended in favor of our Greyhounds this past weekend, with their 18-10 win over the Hoyas.
The Hounds started off strong, scoring four goals in less than eight minutes in the first quarter. Despite back-and-forth scoring between the Hounds and No. 11 Georgetown, Loyola rallied to pull a lead after the half and came out with the win.
Graduate student attacker Evan James performed phenomenally, scoring a career-high of nine points off five goals and four assists. James was the first to score for the Hounds, putting Loyola on the board only two minutes and 53 seconds into the game. Other key scorers in the game were graduate student attacker Adam Poitras and attacker Matthew Minicus ‘26. Poitras and Minicus added the other nine points to the Hounds’ scoreboard. Goalkeeper Luke Staudt ‘24 had 11 key saves in the match.
For every goal Georgetown scored, the Hounds had an answer. When Georgetown was up 5-3, Loyola kept them there and ultimately overturned their goal. Later, a tricky assist by graduate student short-stick defensive midfielder Mustang Sally resulted in another Poitras goal which ended Georgetown’s short 2-0 scoring run.
The Hoyas came back and appeared to have the last goal of the half as they scored with seven seconds left on the clock. In a twist of fate, Loyola got possession in the ensuing face off. James’ clutch cross-crease pass to Sally gave Sally enough time to get in a well-aimed shot at the halftime buzzer. Though contested, the goal was safe under review showing that Sally released the ball with one-tenth of a second left on the clock before the end of the half.
Every goal the Hounds scored was followed by uproarious applause from the attentive Loyola fans. The Greyhound family certainly came through to show their support, with one fan even showing up dressed in green as Luigi. From the pre-game tailgate to the final goal, Loyola fans had a blast supporting the Hounds. Rose McDermott ‘25 spoke about the game’s atmosphere.
She said, “Lacrosse games are always a highlight of spring semester. There was a lot of school spirit at the tailgate and game, and everyone always brings good energy. The win against Georgetown was awesome and I hope Men’s Lax continues to do well.”
Another audience member, Gwen Dorsey ‘26, shared her thoughts on how it felt to be in attendance.
She said, “It was so energizing to be back in the stands with my favorite people cheering on our team.”
The Hounds kept up their energy in the second half of the game, returning to their aggressive offensive tactic. The Hounds and Hoyas traded goals within the first few minutes of the half, with James, Minicus, and Poitras leading the way. Eventually Georgetown could no longer keep up, with Hoya graduate student midfielder Alexander Vardaro scoring their final goal of the match with nine minutes and 29 seconds left in the game. The Hounds went on to score five more goals to end the battle.
The tantalizing nature of the game could be felt no matter where it was watched. Many first years turned up for their first lacrosse game, either for Loyola or ever, and watched both from home and the sidelines.
Silvia Gonzalez ‘27, who watched the game on television, saw the game through a critical eye.
“I liked watching the game…the defense was amazing, and you could see how the players worked together because a lot of their goals were assists. The goalie for Loyola was good too, he seemed very alert at all times. This was a really good start to the season, and I’m hoping to see many more wins where they continue to work together and win together as a family.”
Photographer Natalie Wheeler ‘27 got the chance to watch the game from the field, and she took in the atmosphere of the game from right beside it.
“The atmosphere of the game was buzzing. Being on the field, [I] could really see the whole crowd, and everyone jumping up and down and cheering every time [Loyola] scored. I could hear everything: from conversations on the field to people screaming in the stands. It was definitely a very live environment.”
Men’s Lacrosse continues their season on Feb. 10 at the University of Maryland.
Wheeler said, “You could tell that there is a big lacrosse atmosphere at the school with the alumni being there at the tailgate. The school really made it special. It definitely felt like the place to be that day.”
