American University lacrosse team (7-4) hosted the sixth ranked Loyola University Maryland (11-1) in a home league game on Apr 13. AU failed to improve upon their 2-1 Patriot League record, as they fell 18-8 in front of a home crowd.
From the very first draw control the Eagles were outmatched, and the Greyhounds made quick work of AU’s defense, jumping to a commanding 6-0 lead in less than five minutes. Loyola’s offense came to AU to prove their worth as the No. 6 team in the country, as the Greyhounds sank 10 of their first 11 shots and left the AU goalies with just three saves through the entire game.
The NCAA has a rule preventing the scores of women’s lacrosse games from getting too far out of hand – as long as a team is ahead by 10 or more goals, the clock runs constantly, rather than stopping at dead balls. In this particular game, that rule took effect 5 minutes into the second quarter, when the Greyhounds grabbed a 13-3 lead.
The clock continued to run for the remainder of the game, save for a few sparse minutes when the Eagles briefly cut the lead to nine.
Though they were always down by a wide margin, the Eagles never gave up, and even in the face of such a lopsided defeat, there were still bright spots. Freshmen Alyssa Apuzzo and Maddy Spratt each recorded goals, and graduate students Emma Vinall and Kendall Goldblum continued their one-two punch offense that AU will be banking on in the Patriot League tournament.
“[Apuzzo] had a great day today … she led us in shots, she wasn’t afraid, I think that was one of the big things. She didn’t back down,” said head coach Lindsay Teeters.
Though the Eagles’ margin of loss was wide, there is no shame in losing to an opponent as strong as the Greyhounds, and AU fought until the very end.
The Eagles return to Jacobs Field Saturday at 1 p.m. EST to face a more beatable opponent, the 6-6 69th-ranked Bucknell Bison.
