The Loyola men’s lacrosse team took down defending national champion Maryland, 12-7, on Feb. 11 at the Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore, handing the Terps their first loss since the 2021 national championship game against Virginia.
Loyola finished last season with a record of 8-8, losing to Maryland 20-8 in the first game of the year. But this year, the Greyhounds got their season rolling on the right foot.
“It was great. Our school and the fan base showed up. They created a really good atmosphere for us to play in,” Loyola graduate defenseman Matt Hughes said on Glenn Clark Radio Feb. 13. “I think after last year we were pretty disappointed with how things went, just working all fall toward this first game.”
Hughes mentioned outsiders did not expect the Greyhounds to win the game, but that didn’t matter to them.
“[Head coach Charley Toomey] said it’s not a surprise if we win,” Hughes said. “That’s what we’re expected to do, and that’s what we went out and did.”
Maryland won almost every statistic of the game, including shots (42-26), faceoffs (18-4) and ground balls (38-27). Loyola, however, put together a strong defensive effort led by junior goalie Luke Staudt (19 saves).
The Greyhounds got contributions from throughout their lineup. Loyola junior attackman Davis Lindsey and junior midfielder Seth Higgins each had a goal and two assists. Four others had multi-goal efforts.
“Looking at the stat line now, I probably wouldn’t have said we’d win that game,” Hughes said. “I think they beat us in almost every statistic of the game, but I think it just comes down to the goalie battle and just how hard we worked and the shots that we were forcing them to take.”
Loyola received a combination of excellent offense and strong defensive play in order to win the game. Hughes said the Greyhounds knew Maryland was a good shooting team, so they had to make the Terps take bad shots.
Loyola practiced during the summer and fall trying to get better every day. Hughes mentioned how the Greyhounds have built a very competitive atmosphere during practices and how there is a good relationship between the younger players and the senior leaders.
Hughes is one of those leaders. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman has started 33 games since the start of 2021 for Loyola. Last season, he scooped up 29 ground balls and caused 20 turnovers.
“I think that’s what’s kind of led to us realizing how good we can actually be, and just the culture that we have with our senior leadership,” Hughes said. “We’ve got older guys on this team that are paving the way for the young guys, but I think we just started practicing really hard and recognizing that we can be a really good team and that we are a really good team and if we just play together and stick together, things will go our way.”
Loyola had outstanding individual players last season, but the Greyhounds needed to work together better as a defensive unit. One of the main things Loyola has been working on since the fall is connecting as a group to play better as a team.
“We’re all really good players and if we just connect with each other, and we play good on-ball defense, we’ll have a slide ready to go and we’re just going to be a really cohesive unit,” Hughes said. “I think that’s led to a lot of success in the fall and obviously some success on Saturday.”
Hughes said if the Greyhounds were going to be a good team this season, it was time to put it into action. Hughes and graduate defender Cam Wyers both stepped up defensively and as vocal leaders to connect with their team and keep their teammates in good spirits and hopeful of what’s to come.
None of the players on the roster has won a Patriot League championship with Loyola. Still, Hughes said it is their job to maintain the standard established by the players who came before them.
Loyola has another big home game coming up on Feb. 18 at noon against Johns Hopkins at Ridley.
“I think a lot of us have just been thinking about previous Loyola teams and how great they’ve been, but how under-the-radar they’ve been. I kind of feel the same way about us,” Hughes said. “Nobody really thought we were going to win that game. But just as a team mindset we know what previous Loyola teams have done. … Why shouldn’t we beat Maryland in the home opener if they’re defending champs?”
For more from Hughes, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Larry French