2012 RECORD: 14-6 (7-1 BIG EAST) COACH: JEN ADAMS (5TH YEAR)
LOYOLA GREYHOUNDS 6
Divergent forces are at work in shaping what will become the story of the Loyola women’s lacrosse team. First, there’s the infl uence of what happened last spring in the NCAA playoffs against the bullies from College Park.
Greyhounds coach Jen Adams, who once led Maryland to four consecutive NCAA titles as the world’s best player from 1998- 2001, fell 17-11 to her alma mater and former teammate Cathy Reese in the fi rst round — Loyola’s sixth consecutive loss to the Terps in the NCAA tournament.
On the other hand, Adams’ colleague, Greyhounds men’s lacrosse coach Charley Toomey, and his squad destroyed Maryland’s mythical invincibility over Loyola in the NCAA fi nal by battering the Terps 9-3 in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. Toomey delivered the school’s fi rst Division I championship in any sport. That alone gives Adams and her staff enough motivational fodder. “I am a fi rm believer that the success breeds success,” Adams said. “That goes for all sports at Loyola. The increased success of men’s basketball and both lacrosse teams has helped lift our standards and profi le of the university as a whole. Winning an NCAA championship is realistic... When all the right things are in place, combined with all the right people, great
Feb 16 Virginia Feb 23 Penn State Feb 29 Johns Hopkins Mar 3 at Towson Mar 5 at Florida Mar 13 at Delaware Mar 16 James Madison Mar 22 Louisville Mar 24 Cincinnati Mar 27 at UMBC Apr 6 Georgetown Apr 12 at Notre Dame Apr 14 at Marquette Apr 19 at Villanova Apr 21 at Rutgers Apr 26 Syracuse Apr 28 Connecticut
things happen. We can trust in that notion now.” But might expectations be too high? Loyola will bring such youth to the table this season and likely will begin the season without its No. 2 scorer in Annie Thomas, who suffered a knee injury in that NCAA quarterfi nal loss. Is a No. 6 national ranking overreaching for team that could start as many as three freshmen, including at goalie and low defense? “Last year, we faced the same questions about inexperience and lack of stability on offense,” she said. “That’s a group we turned into one of the highest-powered offenses that Loyola has ever seen.” Led by Tewaaraton candidate and Australian national teamer Marlee Paton, Loyola returns a ton of offensive fi repower that thrived in settled situations. More speed on defense could lead to more transition opportunities for a team that ranked 27th in scoring offense last year. And how well it can compensate for the inevitable lapses of an inexperienced defense will tell the fi nal tale of the 2013 Greyhounds.
— N.C. A Publication of US Lacrosse Marlee Paton RIVAL COACHES SAY
“I like that their goalie is gone. She changed the way we had to play against them… Jen Adams has these kids believing after they won the Big East … Adams waited a long time for the right job to come along, and she found it at Loyola. Did Charley Toomey share his blueprint for a championship?”
TOP RETURNER M Marlee Paton (Jr.) Loyola’s Australian standout will be the focal point of the offense from the midfi eld after a breakout season in 2012. Paton, a fi rst-team All-American and Tewaaraton Award candidate, scored a team-best 90 points on 54 goals and 36 assists.
X-FACTOR A Annie Thomas (So.) As a freshman phenom, Thomas made an immediate impact in 2012, totaling 69 points on gaudy 57.6-percent shooting before suffering a knee injury that kept her out of fall ball. Loyola’s offense could use more of the same from a healthy Thomas to take the pressure off Paton.
After a strong rookie year, Ohio native Sydney Thomas can avoid a sophomore slump by taking more risks. She’s got the green light from Jen Adams.
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PROJECTED STARTERS
A Hannah Schmitt (So.)* G: 42 A: 9
A Kara Burke (So.) G: 15 A: 3
A Joanna Dalton (Sr.)* G: 27 DC: 56
M Marlee Paton (Jr.)* G: 54 A: 36
M Taryn VanThof (So.) G:19 DC: 30 (from 2011)
M Katrina Geiger (Fr.) G: 117 A: 41 (at Haverford High)
M Sydney Thomas (So.)* G: 23 A: 23
D Allison Habicht (Jr.) GB: 5 CT: 3
D Ashley Moulton (Sr.)* GB: 22 DC: 32
D Kathleen Reinhard (Jr.)* GB: 19 DC: 6
D Maddy Lesher (Fr.) CT: 27 DC: 27 (at Archbishop Carroll)
G Molly Wolf (Fr.) GAA: 6.30 S: 154 (at Bryn Mawr School) * returning starters
TELLING NUMBER
Loyola in 2012 — an ominous number with a freshman projected to start at goalie.
Percentage of shots on goal opponents converted against
February 2013 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 65
©BRIAN SCHNEIDER (MP, JA); ©JOHN STROHSACKER (ST)
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