Bauers scores six goals, Hounds weather Red Storm
Dave Lomonico
Issue date: 3/20/07 Section: Sports
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Sure, the No. 12 Loyola men's lacrosse team was red-hot after sweeping Penn State and top-ranked Duke over Spring Break. Sure, they were playing with the home crowd behind them. And yes, their opponent on Saturday - unranked St. John's - had stumbled to 2-4 record.
But don't think for a second that head coach Charley Toomey wasn't worried. Flash back to the last two seasons and you'll find more than one reason to be skeptical about Loyola's chances against the Red Storm.
On April 22, 2006 the Hounds followed up a season-changing victory over No. 2 Georgetown with a devastating loss to Fairfield. Earlier in the year, the Hounds scored just six goals against St. John's and barely escaped with a 6-5 victory. And in 2005, they looked just as sluggish against the Storm, but still managed to hang on for a 6-3 win.
Could the third time be the charm for Saint John's? No.
Senior Dan Bauers scored two early goals and the Hounds never looked back on their way to a 12-6 victory.
It wasn't always pretty as the Greyhounds (4-2, 2-0 ECAC) had their share of lapses, but theveteran Hounds refused to let a gritty St. John's squad hang around.
"After a big win like we had against Duke last week, it's easy to let down," Toomey said. "We had a hard time sustaining energy, but overall I think we played pretty good."
It took seven minutes into the second half, but the Greyhounds' offense finally delivered when senior Andy Spack ignited a four-goal spurt that all but doomed the Red Storm. If you blinked, you might have missed it.
Beating his man off the ball, Spack faced a one-on-one with the goalie and fired a shot above his right shoulder for a 6-3 lead. On the ensuing face-off, Bauers raced down the field and scored his fifth goal of the day.
Less than a minute later, junior Shane Koppens took a pass from senior Greg Leonard and gave the Hounds their third goal in a one-minute span. Senior Cory Coffman capped off the 4-0 run with a goal at the 4:39 mark after taking a feed from Bauers.
But don't think for a second that head coach Charley Toomey wasn't worried. Flash back to the last two seasons and you'll find more than one reason to be skeptical about Loyola's chances against the Red Storm.
On April 22, 2006 the Hounds followed up a season-changing victory over No. 2 Georgetown with a devastating loss to Fairfield. Earlier in the year, the Hounds scored just six goals against St. John's and barely escaped with a 6-5 victory. And in 2005, they looked just as sluggish against the Storm, but still managed to hang on for a 6-3 win.
Could the third time be the charm for Saint John's? No.
Senior Dan Bauers scored two early goals and the Hounds never looked back on their way to a 12-6 victory.
It wasn't always pretty as the Greyhounds (4-2, 2-0 ECAC) had their share of lapses, but theveteran Hounds refused to let a gritty St. John's squad hang around.
"After a big win like we had against Duke last week, it's easy to let down," Toomey said. "We had a hard time sustaining energy, but overall I think we played pretty good."
It took seven minutes into the second half, but the Greyhounds' offense finally delivered when senior Andy Spack ignited a four-goal spurt that all but doomed the Red Storm. If you blinked, you might have missed it.
Beating his man off the ball, Spack faced a one-on-one with the goalie and fired a shot above his right shoulder for a 6-3 lead. On the ensuing face-off, Bauers raced down the field and scored his fifth goal of the day.
Less than a minute later, junior Shane Koppens took a pass from senior Greg Leonard and gave the Hounds their third goal in a one-minute span. Senior Cory Coffman capped off the 4-0 run with a goal at the 4:39 mark after taking a feed from Bauers.
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