For Loyola attacker Shane Koppens, his team?s 13-8 victory over Towson on Saturday afternoon at Unitas Stadium was all about pride.
After squandering an early lead and seeing his team up by just a goal with 21 seconds left in the first quarter, the senior co-captain and freshman attacker Matt Langan pummeled Tigers junior defender Matt Richter when he was on the ground deep in Towson territory.
The result?
Two thrown flags, a tossed referee?s hat and three penalties. But most importantly, the physical play sparked the Greyhound to score seven of the next 11 goals and cruise to victory. Following the final horn, Loyola players rushed the field and celebrated their first victory over the Tigers in three years.
“We just beat Towson,” Koppens, who was still soaking in his first victory against a Charles Street rival, said. “To win against Towson in any game is huge. It?s a rivalry, and we were just looking to get our first win of the season.”
The 17th-ranked Greyhounds? offense looked much different than the one that struggled in a 7-6 loss last week to No. 10 Notre Dame. Loyola (1-1) used aggressive midfield play to create opportunities off of just several passes. Koppens, who had a pair of goals and three assists, and sophomore attacker Cooper MacDonnell, who had a career-high four goals, thrived in the fast-paced system and continually found space.
Towson (0-1), which entered the game ranked 14th in the country, struggled the most with its midfield play. Coach Tony Seaman said his attack scored seven goals off of 17 shots in the game, but got just one goal from his midfielders on 15 attempts.
But there was plenty of blame to go around, Seaman said.
“They beat us everywhere on the field, beat us for ground balls, made plays when they had to make plays,” he said. “You?re not going to win many games at this level scoring eight goals.”
The Tigers, however, did have a few bright spots. Junior midfielder Bill McCutcheon, a transfer from Johns Hopkins, paced the Tigers? attack with his first career hat trick and two assists. Freshman attacker Tim Stratton, who was an All-American in high school, tallied a pair of goals in his first collegiate game.
But Loyola won most of the hustle plays, including a 52-45 advantage in ground balls and a 15-9 edge in faceoffs, which is why Loyola coach Charley Toomey said his team won.
“I thought our guys played awful hard today and got what they deserved,” he said. “This is about our whole 46 guys taking one step as a program.”
