Albany, N.Y. ? Merrick Thomson scored five goals and added one assist in leading UAlbany to a 19-10 victory over Loyola in the first round of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship before a record-crowd of 2,953 on Sunday, May 13 at John Fallon Field. The Great Danes posted their first NCAA win in the program's history and advanced to face Cornell in the quarterfinals on Saturday, May 19 at Princeton Stadium.
UAlbany (15-2) leaped to a 3-0 lead in the opening four minutes of play. Derek Dale finished off a crossing pass from Jordan Levine following a Loyola miscue. Mike Ammann, a junior midfielder, then scored back-to-back goals. He drove from the left and placed a hard shot inside the far post, before advancing from the right side where he went one-on-one with goalkeeper Alex Peaty.
The Great Danes, who were hosting a NCAA Tournament game for the first time as the championship's No. 5 seed, moved out to an 8-2 lead with 4:32 left in the second period. Matthew Green scored unassisted when drove in from the left point and ripped a shot into the top right corner to fuel a three-goal run. Goalkeeper Brett Queener, who made eight saves, stopped two shots that led to a pair of fastbreak opportunities. Dale cleaned up on a left-to-right crossing pass from Thomson, before Levine went all the way from the midfield line and switched to his left hand for a six-goal margin.
UAlbany increased its advantage in the third quarter to 13-4 with another three-goal outburst. Thomson, a senior attacker, started that stretch by scoring in transition after a turnover. Levine, who tied a career-best with five points, then split two defenders en route to the cage. Thomson, who had five-plus points for the 25th time in his career, used a two-man advantage situation to find the net from right of the crease.
Loyola (7-6) ended the third stanza by ripping off three unanswered in a 46-second span. Greg Leonard scored an extra-man goal before his team won the following face-off. Shane Koppens, who had a pair of goals, finished off that possession to slice the deficit to 13-7. But the Great Danes put the game away in the final quarter by netting six of the game's next seven goals. Thomson scored twice in that stretch, and Frank Resetarits and Eric Wolf combined on two other scoring plays.
“We were very prepared,” said UAlbany coach Scott Marr, whose program had lost their previous three NCAA opening-round games. “We've been waiting a long time for this after missing the playoffs last year. We go into every game anticipating Frank (Resetarits) and Merrick (Thomson) will be shut off, or some special defense will be on them. That's what happened today. When Frank and Merrick don't get their looks, it just opens things up for everyone else.”
UAlbany showed its balance with eleven players reaching the scoring column. Resetarits, a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, finished with two goals and two assists, while Corey Small and Wolf each scored twice and had an assist. Paul Richards and Andrew Spack had two goals apiece for the Greyhounds, who made the NCAA field for the first time since 2001.
“I really felt like we had to match their energy,” explained Loyola coach Charlie Toomey, whose team finished second in the ECAC standings behind Georgetown. “They didn't let us back in, they stayed on top of us today. They had an answer for everything. Albany got some good looks at the goal; they proved they can score with their weak hands.”
-agate-
Loyola (7-6) 1 2 4 3 - 10
UAlbany (15-2) 5 5 3 6 - 19
Loyola ? Scoring: Shane Koppens 2-0, Paul Richards 2-0, Andrew Spack 2-0, Patrick Kennedy 1-2, Dan Bauers 1-1, Joe Landry 1-0, Greg Leonard 1-0, Steven Hess 0-1, Ryan Rabidou 0-1, Dan Kallaugher 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): Alex Peaty (36:15, 7 saves, 12 GA), Connor Locke (23:45, 7 saves, 7 GA).
UAlbany ? Scoring: Merrick Thomson 5-1, Jordan Levine 2-3, Frank Resetarits 2-2, Corey Small 2-1, Eric Wolf 2-1, Derek Dale 2-0, Mike Ammann 2-0, Matthew Green 1-0, Steve Ammann 1-0, John Alpizar 0-2, Brett Queener 0-1, Goalkeeper(s): Brett Queener (52:42, 8 saves, 8 GA), Dan McKeon (6:09, 1 saves, 0 GA), A.J. Babnik (1:09, 1 saves, 2 GA).
Lacrosse Box Score (Final)
The Automated ScoreBook
#11 Loyola vs #10 Albany (May 13, 2007 at Albany, N.Y.)
Loyola (7-6) vs. Score by period 1 2 3 4 Tot
Albany (15-2) -------------------------------------
Date: May 13, 2007 Attendance: 2953 Loyola.............. 1 2 4 3 - 10
Weather: Sunny, 62 degrees, N 9mph Albany.............. 5 5 3 6 - 19
Loyola SCORING: GOALS: Spack, Andrew 2; Richards, Paul 2; Koppens, Shane 2;
Kennedy, Patrick 1; Bauers, Dan 1; Leonard, Greg 1; Landry, Joe 1.
ASSISTS: Kennedy, Patrick 2; Bauers, Dan 1; Hess, Steven 1; Kallaugher, Dan 1;
Rabidou, Ryan 1.
Albany SCORING: GOALS: Thomson, Merrick 5; Levine, Jordan 2; Resetarits, Frank
2; Small, Corey 2; Wolf, Eric 2; Ammann, Mike 2; Dale, Derek 2; Ammann, Steve 1;
Green, Matthew 1.
ASSISTS: Levine, Jordan 3; Alpizar, John 2; Resetarits, Frank 2; Queener, Brett
1; Small, Corey 1; Thomson, Merrick 1; Wolf, Eric 1.
Shots by period 1 2 3 4 Tot
-------------------------------------
Loyola.............. 6 9 5 10 - 30
Albany.............. 8 8 15 9 - 40
Ground balls by prd 1 2 3 4 Tot
-------------------------------------
Loyola.............. 8 10 13 14 - 45
Albany.............. 7 8 12 10 - 37
Face-offs by prd 1 2 3 4 Total
----------------------------------------------------
Loyola.............. 5-7 7-8 6-8 9-10 - 27-33
Albany.............. 2-7 1-8 2-8 1-10 - 6-33
Clears by period 1 2 3 4 Total
----------------------------------------------------
Loyola.............. 1-2 1-2 5-6 2-5 - 9-15
Albany.............. 6-7 4-6 6-6 7-7 - 23-26
Extra-man opps 1 2 3 4 Total
----------------------------------------------------
Loyola.............. 0-0 1-3 1-1 1-2 - 3-6
Albany.............. 0-0 0-0 1-3 0-1 - 1-4
Saves by period 1 2 3 4 Tot
-------------------------------------
Loyola.............. 3 2 7 2 - 14
Albany.............. 3 3 0 4 - 10
PENALTIES - LOY 4/4:00; ALBANY 6/5:00.
Officials: Tom Young; Jason Parks; Nick Tropiaino.
___________________________
Offical signature
Lacrosse Box Score (Final)
The Automated ScoreBook
#11 Loyola vs #10 Albany (May 13, 2007 at Albany, N.Y.)
Albany
Pos. ## Player G A Pts Sh SOG GB Face Pen-Min
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
GK 23 Queener, Brett...... - 1 1 - - 3 -
A 5 Resetarits, Frank... 2 2 4 3 3 1 - 1/ 0:30
A 9 Thomson, Merrick.... 5 1 6 7 7 1 -
D 19 McDonald, Craig..... - - - - - 5 - 2/ 2:00
M 22 Levine, Jordan...... 2 3 5 6 5 5 0-2
M 25 Schongar, Chris..... - - - - - 6 0-2 1/ 1:00
A 26 Dale, Derek......... 2 - 2 3 2 1 -
D 28 Gleason, Liam....... - - - - - - - 1/ 0:30
M 29 Barnes, Dan......... - - - - - 1 6-26
D 39 Trapani, Tom........ - - - - - 2 -
---------- Substitutes ----------
2 Green, Matthew...... 1 - 1 2 2 - - 1/ 1:00
3 Babnik, A.J......... - - - - - - -
4 McKeon, Dan......... - - - - - - -
6 Wolf, Eric.......... 2 1 3 3 3 2 -
8 Endres, Tyler....... - - - - - 1 -
12 Alpizar, John....... - 2 2 2 1 1 -
15 Maini, Andrew....... - - - - - - -
16 Kelly, Mark......... - - - - - 1 -
18 Grodotzke, Brian.... - - - - - - -
20 Ammann, Steve....... 1 - 1 2 2 5 0-1
21 Brunk, Kyle......... - - - 1 - - -
24 Stratton, Caleb..... - - - - - - -
27 Beach, Greg......... - - - - - - -
31 Smith, Marc......... - - - - - - 0-1
32 Gleason, Brendan.... - - - - - - -
33 Ammann, Mike........ 2 - 2 4 3 2 -
34 Pedley, Garrett..... - - - - - - -
38 Phelan, Mark........ - - - - - - -
40 Courtney, Kevin..... - - - - - - 0-1
43 Small, Corey........ 2 1 3 7 5 - -
44 Guzzone, Paul....... - - - - - - -
Totals.............. 19 11 30 40 33 37 6-33 6/ 5:00
GOALTENDER SUMMARY
Albany Minutes GA W/L 1 2 3 4 Saves
------------------------------------------------------------------
23 Queener, Brett...... 52:42 8 W 3 3 0 2 8
3 Babnik, A.J......... 1:09 2 0 0 0 1 1
4 McKeon, Dan......... 6:09 0 0 0 0 1 1
Legend: Sh=shots SOG-shots on goal G=goals scored A=assists Face=faceoffs T/O=turnovers
CT=caused turnover SC=stick check INT=interception BLK=blocked pass/shot DCH=drawn charge
Lacrosse Box Score (Final)
The Automated ScoreBook
#11 Loyola vs #10 Albany (May 13, 2007 at Albany, N.Y.)
Loyola
Pos. ## Player G A Pts Sh SOG GB Face Pen-Min
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
GK 27 Peaty, Alex......... - - - - - - -
D 6 Graham, Michael..... - - - - - 1 - 1/ 1:00
A 8 Koppens, Shane...... 2 - 2 2 2 4 -
M 15 Coffman, Cory....... - - - 2 - - -
A 20 Bauers, Dan......... 1 1 2 2 2 - -
A 23 Kennedy, Patrick.... 1 2 3 3 2 1 -
M 29 Richards, Paul...... 2 - 2 3 3 2 -
M 36 Spack, Andrew....... 2 - 2 7 4 2 -
D 38 Moore, David........ - - - - - 1 -
D 43 Graham, Eddie....... - - - - - 1 - 2/ 2:00
---------- Substitutes ----------
1 Ricci, P.T.......... - - - - - 2 -
2 Layne, Steve........ - - - - - 1 -
3 Hess, Steven........ - 1 1 - - 1 -
4 Landry, Joe......... 1 - 1 1 1 1 -
7 Daly, Jimmy......... - - - - - - -
10 Rabidou, Jordan..... - - - - - 1 -
11 Rabidou, Ryan....... - 1 1 2 1 - -
12 Kallaugher, Dan..... - 1 1 1 1 19 27-33
13 Crimmins, Michael... - - - - - 2 -
14 Locke, Connor....... - - - - - 2 -
16 MacDonnell, Cooper.. - - - 1 1 1 -
22 Leonard, Greg....... 1 - 1 4 2 2 -
28 Cunninghman, Ryan... - - - - - - -
30 Kohl, Eric.......... - - - - - - -
32 Willcox, Jake....... - - - 2 1 - -
34 Ebsary, Taylor...... - - - - - - -
37 Perry, Carter....... - - - - - 1 -
44 Dircks, Steve....... - - - - - - - 1/ 1:00
Totals.............. 10 6 16 30 20 45 27-33 4/ 4:00
GOALTENDER SUMMARY
Loyola Minutes GA W/L 1 2 3 4 Saves
------------------------------------------------------------------
27 Peaty, Alex......... 36:15 12 L 3 2 2 0 7
14 Locke, Connor....... 23:45 7 0 0 5 2 7
Legend: Sh=shots SOG-shots on goal G=goals scored A=assists Face=faceoffs T/O=turnovers
CT=caused turnover SC=stick check INT=interception BLK=blocked pass/shot DCH=drawn charge
Lacrosse Box Score (Final)
The Automated ScoreBook
#11 Loyola vs #10 Albany (May 13, 2007 at Albany, N.Y.)
SCORING SUMMARY:
Prd Time Team Type Goal Scorer Assists
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 1st 13:43 ALBANY EVEN Dale, Derek Levine, Jordan
2. 12:23 ALBANY EVEN Ammann, Mike Unassisted
3. 11:29 ALBANY EVEN Ammann, Mike Unassisted
4. 7:24 ALBANY EVEN Wolf, Eric Unassisted
5. 6:00 LOY EVEN Spack, Andrew Unassisted
6. 5:13 ALBANY EVEN Small, Corey Alpizar, John
7. 2nd 12:50 LOY UP Bauers, Dan Hess, Steven
8. 8:23 ALBANY EVEN Green, Matthew Unassisted
9. 7:08 ALBANY EVEN Dale, Derek Thomson, Merrick
10. 4:32 ALBANY EVEN Levine, Jordan Unassisted
11. 3:15 LOY EVEN Richards, Paul Unassisted
12. 2:01 ALBANY EVEN Resetarits, Frank Unassisted
13. 0:09 ALBANY EVEN Thomson, Merrick Levine, Jordan
14. 3rd 14:46 LOY EVEN Koppens, Shane Kallaugher, Dan
15. 13:56 ALBANY EVEN Thomson, Merrick Levine, Jordan
16. 9:21 ALBANY EVEN Levine, Jordan Unassisted
17. 4:49 ALBANY UP Thomson, Merrick Queener, Brett
18. 2:12 LOY EVEN Landry, Joe Unassisted
19. 1:40 LOY UP Leonard, Greg Kennedy, Patrick
20. 1:26 LOY EVEN Koppens, Shane Kennedy, Patrick
21. 4th 14:06 ALBANY EVEN Wolf, Eric Resetarits, Frank
22. 13:40 ALBANY EVEN Small, Corey Unassisted
23. 12:21 LOY EVEN Richards, Paul Bauers, Dan
24. 11:57 ALBANY EVEN Thomson, Merrick Resetarits, Frank
25. 9:44 ALBANY EVEN Ammann, Steve Alpizar, John
26. 8:46 ALBANY EVEN Resetarits, Frank Wolf, Eric
27. 6:47 ALBANY EVEN Thomson, Merrick Small, Corey
28. 0:57 LOY EVEN Spack, Andrew Unassisted
29. 0:36 LOY UP Kennedy, Patrick Rabidou, Ryan
PENALTY SUMMARY:
Prd Time Team ##-Player Min Offense
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd 13:31 ALBANY 19-McDonald, Craig 1:00 PP SLASHING................................
11:48 ALBANY 19-McDonald, Craig 1:00 PP TRIPPING................................
06:49 ALBANY 5 -Resetarits, Frank 0:30 PP PUSHING.................................
3rd 08:45 LOY 43-Graham, Eddie 1:00 PP SLASHING................................
05:45 LOY 6 -Graham, Michael 1:00 PP ILLEGAL BODY CHECK......................
05:03 LOY 43-Graham, Eddie 1:00 PP SLASHING................................
02:12 ALBANY 2 -Green, Matthew 1:00 PP SLASHING................................
4th 05:56 ALBANY 25-Schongar, Chris 1:00 PP TRIPPING................................
02:58 LOY 44-Dircks, Steve 1:00 PP SLASHING................................
00:46 ALBANY 28-Gleason, Liam 0:30 PP PUSHING.................................
