The Greyhounds took a hard blow in their first game of the season with a loss against the nation’s top ranked Maryland Terrapins. The Greyhounds put up a great fight in the first two quarters, but the Terps only seemed to get stronger and stronger as the game went on. The match ended with a decisive 10-19 loss for the Greyhounds.
With the season kicking off to an unusual start after the planned home opener was postponed and this game moved inside, Loyola needed to adapt and come out with their best foot forward to keep up with this rival team. This is something they clearly understood going in, as after a short back and forth of blocked shot attempts, attackman Kenan Everhart ‘27 scored the first goal of the game for the Greyhounds. The rivals went back and forth for the rest of the quarter, and after the Terps made the final goal of the quarter at the 19 second mark, Loyola and Maryland prepared to go into the second quarter tied 2-2.
The low score and the fact that both teams had to constantly get scrappy to pull away with offensive chances speaks to how evenly matched this game began. Keepers Max Watkinson ‘26 for the Greyhounds and Brian Ruppel ‘26 for the Terps put on incredible performances. It was clear falling short for even a moment in a game like this could spell an immediate change of advantage.
The teams went back and forth at the beginning of the second quarter to make it 3-3, after an impressive falling goal by Loyola’s attackman Mason Cook ‘28. Then, Maryland scored three in a row, ending the half 4-6.
At this point, the game was still far from over. Last year, the Terps only managed to squeeze a narrow win against Loyola with an overtime goal. These are two teams that have already proven to be a match in multiple ways.
Going into the third quarter, however, the balance of the game shifted drastically. After Greyhound midfielder Luke Murphy ‘26 returned a goal by Terps ace Eric Spanos ‘26 with a goal of his own, Maryland proceeded to dominate the quarter with seven more consecutive goals, ending the quarter with a nine point lead.
The Greyhounds refused to roll over as they came into the final quarter swinging with three consecutive goals. Unfortunately, they could not maintain the momentum. The Terps scored goal after goal, and the last goal Loyola managed to get was immediately reciprocated by Maryland’s final goal, ending the game 10-19 in an overwhelming victory for the Terps.
Despite this tough loss, Loyola is sure to go up. Last year, 23 players made their debut for the Greyhounds, and 98% of the goals from the 2025 season were made by players returning this year. Even though the season has kicked off on a difficult loss, this is in every way just the beginning for the Loyola Greyhounds.
To see for yourself, Loyola will face off against Johns Hopkins at Hopkins’ Homewood Field this Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1pm. You can head down to see it in person or catch it or on ESPN+. Go Greyhounds!