Sunday, Canto and Woodall shine as Towson downs top ranked Loyola

Towson never wavered. The Tigers took care of business on Wednesday night against top ranked and cross town rivals, Loyola by defeating the Greyhounds at home, 12-10. 

In what would be the second highest attended game at Johnny Unitas stadium in the Coach Shawn Nadelen era, the atmosphere was electric. Before Wednesday night the Tigers were 2-24 all-time against teams ranked number one.

Towson (4-0) jumped out to a 4-2 lead I. The first quarter with the help of excellent faceoff wizardry by Alex Woodall and offensive  firepower from Brendan Sunday (4 goals) made it near impossible for Loyola (3-1) to seize back the control. 

Sunday was dazzling with tremendous footwork and dodging his way around defenders to get to the cage to get off a shot and score! 

On the other end Tyler Canto was sensational in the goal for the Tigers, stopping 13 shots out of 24 that were on goal. And with a stingy and smart defense group in front of him it made for a good night at the office for Canto. 

Entering the contest, the talk of the town, of the entire lax community had been how Loyola attackman Patrick Spencer was this sensational player and everyone was wondering can #7 be stopped? Spencer has already made the Virginia, Johns Hopkins and Rutgers defenses pay this month. But Nadelen who was an All-American defenseman himself was not going to allow Spencer have his way with the Towson defense. Sophomore Koby Smith (Loyola Blakefield), who has defended Spencer (Boys’ Latin) several times before, including in high school, wasn’t intimidated and locked off Spencer from breaking loose. Smith has great positioning and didn’t blink once. Yes, Spencer was able to dish off the ball and pick up four assists on the night but the fact that the Towson defense only limited him to only one goal on the night was a major victory in itself.

Kevin Lindley was amazing for Loyola, scoring six goals. But it wasn’t a big issue for Nadalen and the defense because Woodall, Canto, and Sunday were taking care of business. When you have excellent faceoff results, a brick wall of a goalie, and hot stick offensively, you’re going to win a ton of lacrosse games. And that’s the story from Wednesday night.

Brody McLean, Luke Fromert and Timmy Monahan had two-goal games for the Tigers that kept the offense moving.

Woodall entered the night four faceoff wins from taking over sole ownership of the #3 spot on the teams all-time leader board. The St. Mary’s Annapolis alum blew right through that feat as Woodall won 20 of the game’s 26 faceoffs.

The Tigers are idle this weekend before heading to Charlotte, North Carolina for The Crown Lacrosse Event.

Towson will play two games in three days, first taking on Jacksonville on Friday, March 8 at 5:30 p.m. before drawing Cornell on Sunday, March 10 for a 1 p.m. showdown.

As for the Greyhounds, Loyola returns to Ridley Athletic Complex for the first time since February 9 to open Patriot League play on Saturday, March 2, at 3:30 p.m. against College of the Holy Cross. 

Please follow and like us:

Tom Peace

I am the Director of Lacrosse coverage for MSB. I am currently a national and local lacrosse writer and analyst. I have a strong broadcasting and journalism background that spans over 15 years if covering the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens. The Maryland Terrapins Football and Basketball programs. I've also stepped out of my comfort zone and even covered pro wrestling on a national level as a content writer for Impact Wrestling. I'm excited to provide lacrosse coverage for Maryland Sports Blog.

You may also like...

Follow by Email