Peaty stands tall in 11-10 heart-stopper
Dave Lomonico
Issue date: 4/3/07 Section: Sports
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It was the save of a lifetime; the stuff movies are scripted after. Head coach Charley Toomey's reaction said it best. He just shook his head in disbelief.
"What an incredible save," Toomey finally uttered. "Just incredible."
With the Loyola men's lacrosse team clinging to a one-goal lead in the final seven seconds of regulation, the restless crowd of 3,582 at Geppi-Aikens Field watched sophomore goalie Alex Peaty go toe-to-toe with Syracuse's Kenny Nims.
Nims reared back, and with a half second left on the clock, fired a bullet from point-blank range at the upper right corner of the cage.
"At that point," said senior Dan Bauers, "I'm getting ready for overtime."
But today belonged to Alex Peaty: The hero of the No. 11 Greyhounds'11-10 win over No. 13 Syracuse.
Peaty, who was shunned by the Orange coming out of high school, earned a little taste of sweet revenge on Saturday. You would just never know by his post-game reaction that he enjoyed any of it.
"We go through those situations every day in practice," Peaty said, deflecting any credit thrown his way. "It's the guys in front of me -- Michael Graham, Eddie Graham, and David Moore -- that make it happen and allow me to get in position for stops."
Nevertheless, Peaty's save gave the Hounds (5-2, 4-0 ECAC) their fifth-straight victory and a win over a team they had beaten only once in the last eight years. As with any heated rivalry, the final outcome came down to the end, when all rational thought is thrown out and the players must rely on will and instinct.
But the end-of-game drama overshadowed the most excruciating 1:13 witnessed at Geppi-Aikens this season. With Loyola ahead comfortably at 11-7, the vaunted Orange attack, which averages 11 goals per game, surged back with three-straight transition goals. Syracuse then proceeded to win their fourth consecutive face-off, ultimately leading to Peaty's last stand.
"I give them [Syracuse] a lot of the credit," said Bauers, who scored a game-high four goals. "If anyone can come back and score four goals in a minute, it's Syracuse."
"What an incredible save," Toomey finally uttered. "Just incredible."
With the Loyola men's lacrosse team clinging to a one-goal lead in the final seven seconds of regulation, the restless crowd of 3,582 at Geppi-Aikens Field watched sophomore goalie Alex Peaty go toe-to-toe with Syracuse's Kenny Nims.
Nims reared back, and with a half second left on the clock, fired a bullet from point-blank range at the upper right corner of the cage.
"At that point," said senior Dan Bauers, "I'm getting ready for overtime."
But today belonged to Alex Peaty: The hero of the No. 11 Greyhounds'11-10 win over No. 13 Syracuse.
Peaty, who was shunned by the Orange coming out of high school, earned a little taste of sweet revenge on Saturday. You would just never know by his post-game reaction that he enjoyed any of it.
"We go through those situations every day in practice," Peaty said, deflecting any credit thrown his way. "It's the guys in front of me -- Michael Graham, Eddie Graham, and David Moore -- that make it happen and allow me to get in position for stops."
Nevertheless, Peaty's save gave the Hounds (5-2, 4-0 ECAC) their fifth-straight victory and a win over a team they had beaten only once in the last eight years. As with any heated rivalry, the final outcome came down to the end, when all rational thought is thrown out and the players must rely on will and instinct.
But the end-of-game drama overshadowed the most excruciating 1:13 witnessed at Geppi-Aikens this season. With Loyola ahead comfortably at 11-7, the vaunted Orange attack, which averages 11 goals per game, surged back with three-straight transition goals. Syracuse then proceeded to win their fourth consecutive face-off, ultimately leading to Peaty's last stand.
"I give them [Syracuse] a lot of the credit," said Bauers, who scored a game-high four goals. "If anyone can come back and score four goals in a minute, it's Syracuse."
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