BALTIMORE, Md. – Juniors Sean O'Sullivan and Mike Sawyer each scored four goals as No. 13 Loyola University Maryland (2-0) used a strong first half effort to earn its second straight win, a 13-6 victory over the Tigers (1-2) at the Greyhounds' Ridley Athletic Complex on Saturday afternoon.
The Greyhounds, who earned their fifth straight win over the Tigers, erupted for eight goals in the first half, including six in the second quarter, to take a commanding 8-2 advantage.
Loyola took a quick 2-0 lead in the opening seven minutes as O'Sullivan and senior midfielder Pat Byrnes each tallied a goal past junior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage. With 6:13 remaining in the first quarter, senior attackman Sean Maguire scored off a feed from freshman midfielder Justin Mabus to narrow the gap to 2-1.
But, the Greyhounds used a pair of goals from Sawyer to ignite a four-goal run over a three-minute span in the second quarter to increase the advantage to 6-1 with 9:11 left in the first half.
After sophomore midfielder Thomas DeNapoli scored an unassisted goal with 8:17 left in the first half, O'Sullivan extended the Loyola lead with a pair of extra-man goals in a 40-second span to give Loyola an 8-2 edge at the intermission.
Led by a pair of goals from Sawyer, the Greyhounds opened the third quarter with three consecutive goals over the first six minutes, upping the Loyola cushion to 11-2. Mabus ended the Greyhounds' run when he scored the first goal of his college career, an unassisted marker past Loyola junior goalkeeper Michael Bonitatibus with 8:53 left in the third stanza.
The teams traded goals twice before Maguire scored his second goal of the game off an assist from junior attackman Matt Hughes with 1:48 left, but the Tigers were unable to get any closer.
While Sawyer led the Greyhounds with four goals and an assist, O'Sullivan added four goals, including three in the first half. Sophomore attackman Justin Ward tallied a career-high five assists, becoming the first Loyola player to record five assists in a game since Shane Koppens had five assists against Bryant on March 10, 2009.
Mabus scored a goal with two assists to lead the Tigers in a losing effort while Maguire posted two goals for the eighth multi-goal game of his career. Making his third straight start, Wascavage made nine saves in the first half before being replaced by senior Travis Love, who had five saves in the second half.
The Tigers will return to Johnny Unitas® Stadium next Saturday afternoon to host Mount St. Mary's in their home opener at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, Loyola will open its ECAC schedule next Friday when the Greyhounds play at Bellarmine at 7 p.m.
Men's College Lacrosse: No. 13 Loyola 13, Towson 6
Towson (1-2) 1-1-2-2 / 6
No. 13 Loyola (2-0) 2-6-4-1 / 13
Goals: TOW – Sean Maguire 2, Justin Mabus 1, Matt Hughes 1, Thomas DeNapoli 1, Dan Kramer 1; LOY – Mike Sawyer 4, Sean O'Sullivan 4, Pat Byrnes 2, Eric Lusby 1, J.P. Dalton 1, Phil Dobson 1. Assists: TOW – Justin Mabus 2, Thomas DeNapoli 1, Matt Hughes 1; LOY – Justin Ward 5, Pat Byrnes 1, Kyle Duffy 1, Eric Lusby 1, Scott Ratliff 1, Mike Sawyer 1. Saves: TOW – Andrew Wascavage 9 (30:00, 8 goals allowed), Travis Love 5 (30:00, 5 goals allowed); LOY – Michael Bonitatibus 3 (53:53, 4 goals allowed), Jack Runkel 2 (6:07, 2 goals allowed). Shots: TOW – 22; LOY – 49. Extra-Man Opportunities: TOW – 1 for 2; LOY – 2 for 4. Attendance: 1,384.
