BALTIMORE, Md. // Second-Team All-Patriot League attackman Christian Daniel (Sr / Owings, Md.) paced Navy (6-3, 4-2 Patriot League / 2-2 South Division) with 4 points on a pair of goals and assists, while 2021 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Spencer Rees (Sr / Baltimore, Md.) made 14 stops between the pipes, but it would not be enough as Loyola (8-5, 4-3 PL / 3-1 South Division) dealt the Mids a 16-9 loss Tuesday evening in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Men's Lacrosse Tournament held at Ridley Athletic Complex.

"There's a reason why Loyola is the class of the conference. They are the team everyone has been chasing," said second-year Navy head coach Joe Amplo, who made his Patriot League Tournament coaching debut. "I thought we looked really nervous and timid and some of the mistakes we made were uncharacteristic of the way we've played this year. I need to do a better job of getting our team prepared and playing with confidence for a game like this.

"One game doesn't define who you are as a team. I told our seniors they have laid the foundation for us to build upon for the future. I can put my head on the pillow at night knowing that there's disappointment in all our hearts that we lost today, but there is also satisfaction in knowing that we brought this program back to what it should be."

Loyola's Bailey Savio was sensational at the faceoff "x" where he dominated the Mids. He won 5 of the first 6 draws in the contest, putting the Greyhounds on offense early an often. Loyola built a 5-0 lead riding the play of rookie middie Seth Higgins and senior attackman Aidan Olmstead who both contributed a goal and an assist in the opening quarter. Meanwhile, the Greyhounds' stifling defense kept Navy off the scoreboard for the opening 15 minutes of the contest and limited the Mids to just 4 shots in the opening quarter.

The scoreless first period marked just the second time this season the Mids were held without a goal in a quarter. Loyola stumped Navy in the opening quarter of their first matchup this season (April 3), building a 3-0 first-quarter advantage en route to a 14-10 victory over the Mids.

Navy settled down in the opening minutes of the second quarter where it put together a three-goal run to find its way back into the mix of things. Midfielder Max Hewitt (Fr / Denver, Colo.) got the Mids on the scoreboard just 42 seconds into the frame when he fired his shot over the shoulder of Loyola keeper Sam Shafer for his sixth unassisted goal of the year. Thirty-nine seconds later, Daniel took a Patrick Skalniak (So / Dallas, Texas) outlet pass and drilled home his 75th collegiate goal, while Nick Cole (Jr / Ashburn, Va.) completed the run with his first extra-man goal of the year when Tyler Perreten (Sr / Crofton, Md.) found Cole alone at the crease.

After its lead was cut to two (5-3), Loyola went on a 5-1 run over the final 11:17, scoring three-consecutive goals to close the half and push its lead to six (10-4).

The Mids once again attempted to mount a comeback when they scored the first two goals of the third quarter. Daniel fed Bryson Rhee (Fr / Ephrata, Pa.) who targeted a 20-yard shot, while Daniel's 12-yarder rippled the back of the net to get Navy to within four (10-6).

Loyola would answer by scoring the next four goals, three to end the quarter (13-6) and the first of the final frame to push its lead to eight.

Navy drew to within six (14-8) when senior Joe deLyra (Sr / Brightwaters, N.Y.) drew the slide and found Cole cutting through the middle for the goal and Michael Foster's (Sr / Manassas, Va.) bounce shot worked its way past Shafer with just under 10 minutes remaining.

The Greyhounds, however, would not be denied as they scored two in a row before yielding a Skalniak extra-man goal at 3:50 in what was the final score of the contest

With his team-best four-point performance, Daniel closed out his career with 122 points on 76 goals and 46 assists. He etched his name into the Navy record books where he finished 20th in career points and 20th in career goals, while just missing the top 20 in assists. Meanwhile, Cole and Skalniak finished the game with a pair of goals and an assist.

One of nine players to score for Loyola, Olmstead led the way with a six-point evening. the First-Team All-Patriot League attackman scored 5 goals, while Kevin Lindley, Evan James and Dan Wigley contributed 2 apiece. Savio won 21 of the 28 draws and grabbed a team-best 11 ground balls, while Shafer made 9 saves for the Greyhounds.

Loyola will face Army, the top seed out of the North Division, in one of two Patriot League Semifinal contests held Friday evening in Bethlehem, Pa. Lehigh, the top seed out of the South Division, will play Colgate in the other semifinal after the Raiders upset Boston U. in the quarters, 11-8.

### Go Navy ###