Previewing Loyola: What to Know About the No. 6 Greyhounds

Loyola is 20-1. But the No. 6 Greyhounds might as well be undefeated—at least according to 10th-year Boston College head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein.

Loyola's lone loss this season came at Syracuse on March 29. It was a 14-13 game that would have gone to overtime had Georgia Latch's game-tying goal not been called back because of a Greyhounds offensive foul.

"I'm not sure even if Loyola really lost that game," Walker-Weinstein said candidly Wednesday. "It was a blatantly bad call by the officials that gave Syracuse the ball back."

Regardless, Loyola rebounded, cruising through the Patriot League. In fact, the Greyhounds one-upped UMass for the longest conference win streak in the sport's history. The Minutewomen had rattled off 61 straight A-10 victories from 2011-18. Loyola broke that record with its April 13 win over American.

Head coach Jen Adams' team hasn't lost a Patriot League regular season game since moving over from the Big East in 2014. And, this year, the Greyhounds beat Patriot League foes—including during their conference tournament title run—by an average of 13.7 goals per contest.

"I just think when you look at their record, you know that they're here for a reason," Walker-Weinstein said. "They're playing on a mission, and they're playing really confident."

Adams has been Loyola's head coach since 2009. A decade before that, though, she was in the early stages of her illustrious playing career at Maryland, where she led the Terrapins to four consecutive national titles. Adams piled up 445 points in her carer, the most registered by an ACC player—until this year when North Carolina attacker Jamie Ortega surpassed that mark.

For decades, Adams was recognized as the greatest player in the sport's history. Her excellence was perhaps best highlighted by her 10-point National Championship performance in 2000, when she turned a close game against Princeton into a complete blowout.

Walker-Weinstein, who played at Maryland just after Adams graduated, still calls Adams the best to ever do it.

"Jen Adams is the greatest player of all time and was like my personal hero growing up," Walker-Weinstein said. "I know her so well. I know her passion. I know her IQ. I know the kind of person she is, which makes even their coaching staff an incredible X-factor."

Walker-Weinstein continued: "Jen transcended the game back then. And I think she continues to do that at Loyola. She's had so much success there. I can see how her players are playing similar to what Jen would do."

Walker-Weinstein mentioned, specifically, how Adams' players are notably physical. That shows on paper as Loyola averages 22.81 fouls per game and, on the flip side, is tied for 25th nationally in free-position shots this season, not to mention that the Greyhounds are first in the country with a 56.5% free-position percentage.

Walker-Weinstein added that Loyola's players, like Adams, are mentally dominant, too. The Greyhounds have flexed that attribute with a great understanding of Adams' offense—they post 8.1 assists per game, good for fifth most in Division I this season.

Maryland has won 15 national championships. The Terrapins have long been the emblem of success in the sport. But Loyola is only a notch below. Even though the Greyhounds haven't had a dynasty like UMD, Northwestern, UNC, BC or Princeton, they have enjoyed sustained success. Loyola made every NCAA Tournament from 1996-2004 and, since 2011, it has missed out on May Madness just once.

The Greyhounds are still looking for their first-ever national title, but they've reached seven Final Fours. That said, their most recent appearance in the national semifinal was 2003.

Along with Maryland and Johns Hopkins, Loyola has helped "paved the way for everything everywhere else," Walker-Weinstein said.

"Maryland is the home of the sport," Walker-Weinstein, an Annapolis native, said. "I think it's set the tone for the way lacrosse should be played in all areas."

A Livy Rosenzweig: She hold the program's all-time points record and has stringed together her third 100-plus-point season in 2022. Rosenzweig can distribute—her 46 assists are fifth most in the country this year—and score—her 63 goals are tops on the team this season.

Walker-Weinstein on Rosenzweig:

"She uses her body better than anybody I've seen. I think she straddles the line of being a very good 1-v-1 attacker and kinda charging her way through and she does a very good job of balancing that. And she's so physical. Very strong and very smart. So she's the top player to stop for that team. But she's got an incredible supporting cast."

M Jillian Wilson: Along with Rosenzweig, Wilson also won more than 100 draws this season. In fact, Wilson's 125 draws make her 11th nationally in that category. The senior middie also ranks second on the team in goals (47) and ground balls (30).

D Katie Detwiler: Another veteran, Detwiler is Loyola's lone USA Lacrosse Magazine first-team All-American this year. She's a two-time Patriot League Defender of the Year and she leads the team with 20 caused turnovers. Detwiler is key in the circle, too, with 51 draws to her name.

20 — the number of wins Loyola has piled up this year, three more than the program's previous high for a single season.

7.68 — the goals against average of Loyola goalie Kaitlyn Larsson, which ranks third in the NCAA.

16.76 — the number of goals Loyola has averaged this season, the fourth most nationally.

7.48 — the number of goals Loyola has allowed per game this season, the third fewest in the country.