Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Loyola (Md.) (PL Tournament Semifinals)
Bucknell Drops Double-OT Heartbreaker to Loyola, 7-6, in PL Semifinals
4/29/2016 11:08:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Zach Herreweyers scored with 5.3 seconds remaining in the second overtime period, lifting second-seeded Loyola to a 7-6 victory over third-seeded Bucknell in a Patriot League Tournament semifinal thriller on Friday night at rainy Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Will Sands and Sean O'Brien scored twice each for the Bison, who were stout defensively all night long against the 10th-ranked team in the country.
It was quite a turnaround from the regular-season meeting between Bucknell (10-5) and Loyola (11-3), when the Greyhounds won 14-3 in Baltimore. The Bison, now ranked 20th nationally, had not lost since that game and brought a five-game winning streak to Annapolis. With Matt Gilray blanketing Patriot League Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year Pat Spencer and freshman goalie Christian Klipstein standing tall in the crease, Bucknell held the potent Loyola offense in check for much of the night.
Loyola, which has the 12th-ranked scoring defense in the country, was equally tough to solve, however. The Greyhounds own freshman goalie Jacob Stover, who came in with a .602 save percentage and a paltry 6.85 goals-against average since taking over the starting duties mid-season, tallied 11 saves, including two game-savers in double overtime.
Bucknell came from behind time and time again in this one. Twice they erased two-goal deficits, and then they swapped goals with Loyola twice more in the fourth quarter.
Loyola went up 2-0 on goals from long-pole Zac Davilakos and Spencer almost 10 minutes apart in the first period. Bucknell got on the board with 8.7 seconds left in the first quarter on a nifty one-on-one move by Sands, who finished with a diving shot near the crease.
Sands did it again early in the second period. With the 30-second shot clock turned on, Sands came from behind the cage and bounced another diving shot past Stover to even the game at 2-2. It stayed knotted at 2 until the 2:13 mark, when Spencer dodged from goal-line extended on the left side and scored to give the Greyhounds a 3-2 lead at the half.
Herreweyers made it 4-2 at 6:12 of the third quarter after a nice feed from Spencer. Bucknell got a big one back nearly four minutes later when Doyle threaded a pass across the crease for a quick one-timer from Quinn Collison, ending a 23:29 scoreless drought.
O'Brien gave the Bison a huge lift in the fourth quarter, scoring a pair of tying goals. He knotted the game at 4-all off a feed from Tommy O'Connor, who was the only Bison to record a point in every game this season. Then with 10:55 remaining O'Brien cut to the right side of the cage, took a pass from Sands and quickly answered a Brian Sherlock goal, evening the contest at 5-all.
Loyola needed only 23 seconds to go back in front, scoring on Zack Sirico's diving attempt in front of the goal. But with 4:34 to go, O'Connor fired home his 24th goal of the year from about 15 yards out.
Both teams had chances to win it at the end of regulation. Thomas Flibotte had a shot saved by Stover with just over two minutes to go, and then at the other end Klipstein made his biggest save of the night on a Sherlock tracer with 22 seconds remaining. Bucknell cleared and called timeout. Kyle Shanahan took the ball on the restart, went behind the goal and back out to the left of the cage, where his bounce shot glanced off Stover's chest and beyond the far post.
Bucknell had the only two shots in the first overtime but could not connect, and the period ended with Gilray checking the ball away from Spencer. Loyola won the faceoff to start the second four-minute extra session, and Klipstein made another tough save to win possession back for the Bison.
They had two good looks at goal, but Stover denied a cutting Sean Doyle from point-blank range and then followed with a tough save on Thomas Flibotte on a shot at his feet. After a Loyola timeout, Herreweyers took a pass from Sirico on the right side and scored with a low shot from a tough angle.
Loyola outshot Bucknell 43-31 and led 33-21 in ground balls and 11-6 in faceoffs. The Greyhounds advance to face Army West Point in the Patriot League Championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Black Knights upset top-seeded Navy 9-3 earlier in the day.
