The No. 8 Virginia men’s lacrosse team did not start of its season quite like it wanted to as No. 14 Loyola dominated the Cavaliers Saturday at Klöckner Stadium. The game marked the season opener for both teams.
Virginia had 1,275 fans in attendance during the blustery, 25 degree afternoon.
The Cavaliers (0-1) suffered a slow start to the afternoon, as the Greyhounds (1-0) hit the ground running and were up 4-0 with 37 seconds left in the first period.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Virginia, as it seemed making a shot would be difficult. In fact, the Cavaliers outshot Loyola 40-33. The Greyhounds, however, went on a 5-0 run until senior midfielder Greg Coholan put the Cavaliers on the board at the 4:22 mark in the second quarter.
“We weren't quite good enough on defense and they were a little bit better," Virginia Coach Dom Starsia said. "That's an experienced offensive lacrosse team for Loyola. They were able to cash in on their opportunities, and we had a number of good ones that would have made a difference.”
Freshman midfielder Ryan Conrad, heralded as the No. 1 recruit in his class, followed suit and scored his first career goal on an assist by sophomore attackman Mike D’Amario with 1:20 left in the second quarter.
The Cavaliers were unable to obtain momentum in the second half, while Loyola, on the other hand, went on a 3-1 run to open up the third quarter. A pair of juniors tried to get Virginia going in the later part of the quarter, as midfielder AJ Fish started off his season with a goal. Attackman Ryan Lukacovic then scored a goal for Virginia in the quarter on an assist from senior attackman James Pannell.
The Cavaliers were held scoreless once again in the fourth quarter, while Loyola added two more goals to the final score. Senior midfielder Tyler Albrecht ultimately led the Greyhounds in scoring with three goals.
Junior goalie Matt Barrett recorded 10 saves for the Cavaliers, and junior midfielder Zed Williams showed promise for the rest of the season, leading the team with 10 ground balls.
Shooting woes were the main problem that plagued Virginia. Overall, the Cavaliers led the Greyhounds in ground balls, 39-32. Virginia also led in faceoffs, 10-7.
But on the other hand, Loyola led the Cavaliers in turnovers, 15-13, and saves, 14-10.
“We did some things for us to feel okay about,” Starsia said. “But in general, it was not quite up to the performance that we needed today to be the team that was on top of their game."
Virginia will look to regroup in practice over the week, with its next contest on Saturday, Feb. 20 when the Cavaliers travel to Philadelphia to face off against Drexel.
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