Loyola University Maryland men’s lacrosse team will compete in its sixth Patriot League Championship Game since joining the conference in 2014, facing Army West Point on Sunday, May 3 at Michie Stadium. The match is scheduled for a noon faceoff and will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
The game holds significance as Loyola seeks an automatic bid to its 28th NCAA Championships with a win. The Greyhounds have shown improvement this season, posting six more wins than last year and leading the league in assists per game during regular-season conference play. Mason Cook has played a pivotal role for Loyola, scoring three or more goals in 12 of the team’s 14 games this season and setting a Patriot League Championships record with seven goals in the semifinal victory over Colgate.
Charley Toomey is guiding the team through his 21st season as head coach and was recently named to the Patriot League’s William Lawson Coaching Staff of the Year along with his staff. Four Greyhounds—Cook, Kenan Everhart, Luke Murphy, and Jake Wilson—were selected for All-League teams for the first time in their careers. “Charley Toomey is in his 21st year as the head coach at Loyola and his 30th as a member of the Greyhounds’ coaching staff,” according to information provided by Loyola.
The starting attack line of Cook, Everhart, and Matthew Minicus has accounted for nearly two-thirds of Loyola’s goals this year. Minicus recently reached several career milestones including surpassing 100 career goals and moving into fifth place all-time at Loyola with 197 points. Goalkeeper Max Watkinson set a new personal best with 20 saves against Colgate while leading both the conference and ranking sixth nationally with an average of over thirteen saves per game.
Historically, Army West Point holds an all-time advantage over Loyola but Sunday’s matchup marks their eighth postseason meeting since Loyola joined the league. When they met earlier this season on April 18 at Ridley Athletic Complex, Army won by six goals after building an early lead despite four goals from Minicus.
Looking ahead, should Loyola win Sunday’s contest it would secure another NCAA tournament appearance while continuing what has been described as one of college lacrosse’s biggest turnarounds from last year’s record.
