Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 2/20/07 Section: Sports

The lacrosse team opened the season with a No. 13 ranking, mostly due to their physical and dominant midfielders. Andy Spack leads a senior group that will be counted on to spur the Greyhound offense this season.

For second year head coach Charley Toomey, 2006 was all about building the Loyola lacrosse program back in to a postseason contender. But it's 2007, and the time is now for Loyola to establish itself among the elite powers.

Lacrosse Magazine tabbed the Hounds as the 12th best team in the country. Inside Lacrosse has Loyola finishing third in the rough Eastern College Athletic Conference. And with four preseason All-Americas, there is no reason to believe that this team can't make a deep postseason run.

The Hounds boast 11 seniors, including nine starters, who will see significant field time, giving Loyola one of the most experienced teams in the nation. With key players returning to every position from last year's squad, which finished 6-6, the seniors must respond and take advantage of their final year at the Evergreen campus.

The 2007 recruiting class may have brought in seven All-Americas, but for this veteran squad, the future is now.

"Our success hinges on the play of our seniors," Toomey said. "They need to make plays, and they should be confident in doing so."

It will not be an easy road to the top, and no one knows that more than this year's crop. The upperclassmen saw their team fight through adversity last season, highlighted by an upset against Georgetown and a 19-4 annihilation of Wagner. But they also saw a team that lost three games by one goal -- including a heart-breaker in the finale against Johns Hopkins -- and a team that lost to Fairfield right after beating the Hoyas.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle for the team will be the road games, in which they were just 2-4 last season, compared with 4-1 at home. Right away, the Hounds will be tested against Notre Dame in South Bend. If they return victorious, the confidence from such a game could carry them through the early part of their schedule. With the next three games against rival Towson, Penn State, and Duke, it is essential that the team start out well.

"We're going to develop week to week, and we want to be playing best at end of year, but we have to play well at the beginning because we have some tough games," Toomey said. "The ECAC is the most competitive conference in the country… it's going to come down to who can keep their guys on the field, how well you come back from a loss, and how well you respond to a big win.

"We've got leadership at every position… if we can stay healthy, and if our seniors can keep taking it one game at a time, then there's a great opportunity for them to compete in the ECAC and to take our program back to the postseason where it belongs."

Attack

The Greyhound attack will look very similar to the 2006 model, and that's because every starter is returning, including junior Shane Koppens, who may have been the team's most complete offensive player until a broken thumb effectively ended his season.

Koppens will be part of a rotation this season, sharing time with senior Ryan Rabidou and two sophomores, Michael Crimmins and Jake Wilcox. Rabidou is noted for his composure and calmness, something that did not go unappreciated by his teammates, who elected him a team captain.

While Koppens and Rabidou will see the majority of the playing time, both of the underclassmen were forced into action last season and proved that they could handle the speed of Division I lacrosse.

If the team can stay healthy, then the attack has already improved in terms of proven commodities who can come in off the bench and spell a starter. Not to mention that Loyola will have two freshmen All-Americas, Cooper MacDonnell and Daniel Mortell, who will be itching to show off their skills and compete for playing time at attack.

While Toomey loves the depth, he knows that the Greyhound attack starts with his two intense playmakers: Dan Bauers and Pat Kennedy. Bauers, a senior All-America and a Loyola captain, is a physical presence who exudes a contagious mean streak when he gets into a rhythm. He led the team with 22 goals last season and must continue that trend in 2007.

The key is going to be Kennedy who was on his way to a terrific 2006 before a knee injury against Massachusetts ended his campaign. If Kennedy can rebound from the injury, then the Greyhounds should improve upon last season's 9.8 goals per game average.

"We're going to ask [Bauers and Kennedy] to be the leaders," Toomey said. "They're going to have to control the tempo of the offense."

Midfield

The midfield led the Greyhounds last season, and more of the same is expected this year, especially with every starter from the first and second line returning.

The fact that Toomey can send out eight players who have big game experience and complement them with two more All-America recruits makes this midfield one of the best in the ECAC.

The most versatile group on the field, the middies will be asked to use their athleticism to create opportunities on offense and help with coverage when the oppositions press. Although the Greyhounds are known throughout the conference -- and even the nation -- for this group of middies, there is one name in particular that opponents fear when playing Loyola: Spack.

The only thing lacking on senior All-America Andy Spack's resume is dominance in the postseason. If he plays to his potential, that drought should end this year. He led the team in 2006 with 15 assists, was second with 26 points, played on offense, dropped down in coverage, and even handled faceoffs. Needless to say, Loyola has gotten the most out of Spack.

"He's a fireplug," Toomey said of his emotional leader. "He does everything for us. First midfield, extra man, wings, and faceoffs… everything."

Playing opposite Spack is another senior, Corey Coffman, who developed a scoring touch last year and was praised by Toomey for taking his game to the next level.

Known as a distributor, Coffman does a lot of little things that don't show up in the box score.

The third senior in this group of midfielders is, simply put, a bull. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Greg Leonard is as rugged as a lacrosse player comes. He's an imposing force who the opposition must gameplan away from. What's even scarier than Leonard's defense is his newfound ability to shoot. Toomey feels that if Leonard gets the ball in the open field, three-goal games are not out of the realm of possibilities.

With a trio of senior starters on the first line, senior Jordan Rabidou won't be left out as the leader of the second line. Rabidou led the team with 48 groundballs in 2006 as part of a faceoff tandem with Spack. This year, he'll see a little less time from the X and more time setting up the offense with his deft stick handling.

Sophomore Tyler Gale stepped in last year and managed to score eight goals despite playing on the second line. While there's no room for him to move up, he'll be counted on again provide depth and step in if a starter goes down.

The wildcard in the group is junior Paul Richards who finished second on the team to Jordan Rabidou with 46 groundballs while adding 11 goals and 11 assists. Richards is a complete player who can score, pass, and drop down and play defense, and at times looked like the best Loyola player on the field in 2006.

However, he was injured in the preseason, and the team hopes to have him back for their second game against Towson.

Even if Richards does recover in time, expect to hear the names of these two freshmen: Taylor Ebsary and Mickey Haight. Both impressed in the preseason and will be tested early on the second line. Along with these two, Ryan Rabidou, Crimmins, and Wilcox can all drop down from attack and play midfield.

"Our offense took a huge step last year in scoring another goal a game, and our man up percentage was the best in the country," Toomey said. "We've got great senior leadership on the offensive end."

Defense

When considering the inexperience on the defensive end in 2006, the unit did well to allow only 8.4 goals per game. Nevertheless, Toomey wants to see improvement.

"We were 24th in the nation defensively and we want to bring that number down with the seniors that we have," he said. "We really think that defense can be one of our strong suits."

With senior All-America Steven Hess and sophomore P.T. Ricci, there's no reason to believe that the Greyhounds can't dominate. Hess, a three-year starter, is the glue of the defense and will once again assume a leadership role down low.

Although he can play long-stick middie, Hess' game is preventing opposing attackers from cutting to the alley and getting open looks at the goal.

Ricci steps into a starting role this year after earning his way into the rotation last season. He played every game as a freshman and established himself on defense as a fast, physical player who can be depended on to pick up groundballs and protect the goal from cutters.

"Steven and P.T. are two terrific poles and can start for anyone in the country," Toomey said. "With their speed between the lines, if we can put the ball on the ground and allow ourselves to run, that will really help us."

6-3 senior Michael Graham adds depth and experience, though he has never lived up to his hype as a big-time recruit. Nevertheless, his stick skills are solid and his demeanor is tantamount to Loyola's defensive attitude. Graham's brother, junior Eddie Graham, is a tough little player who firms up the inside of the defense.

Senior David Moore is back for his senior year after being granted another year of eligibility. He played in all 12 games last year and will be one of the first defensive players off the bench. Classmate Carter Perry also received one more year of eligibility, adding more veteran depth to an already experienced defense.

Rounding out the defense is junior Joe Landry who should see time on defense and will also help in short-stick situations.

Although their impact may not be felt this season, the defense now boasts three freshmen All-Americas in Kyle Cottrell, Steve Dircks, and Steve Layne.

"On defense, we're not going to be making checks all over the place," Toomey said. "Taking away the inside is the first priority and then we're going to protect our goalies.

We feel like we're a more balanced team this year. If we can win the groundball war, it will give us great opportunities to run from defense to offense."

Goalies/Faceoffs

The only newcomer to the starting lineup is former top-10 recruit Alex Peaty. The sophomore from Canada has the raw ability and the mental presence to be one of the best goalies in the league despite his inexperience.

Although he can stop almost any shot -- making the spectacular save look routine -- the knock on Peaty is his vocal leadership where the coaching staff is starting to see some improvement.

"Alex is a tremendous stopper, and he can really frustrate another team," Toomey said. "But we would really like to see him take another step in leading the defense and communicating with them."

Backing up Peaty is junior Connor Locke, who brings with him a keen knowledge of the game and solid fundamentals.

Locke was touted as a "rock down in the goal" by Toomey and was praised for "doing the little things the right way."

Both Locke and Peaty have developed chemistry, and for this team to be successful defensively, they are going to have to work together.

The most underrated player on the team is All-America Dan Kallaugher, a graduate student from Yale with a year of eligibility left. Kallaugher is a pure faceoff player and will be instrumental in setting up the Loyola offense. He will be expected to give Jordan Rabidou and Spack rest from the war on the X.

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