Box Score
BALTIMORE - The Boston University men's lacrosse team fought valiantly against top-ranked Loyola, but the Terriers dropped a 15-6 decision on Saturday afternoon at Ridley Athletic Complex.
BU (1-11, 1-6 PL), facing off against its first top-10 opponent in program history, scored first against Loyola (11-1, 7-0 PL) and was within three at halftime before the Greyhounds pulled away in the second half. Freshman Tyler Zickel, making his second collegiate start, made a career-high 14 saves in the loss. Senior Kyle Lange made his first collegiate appearance and stopped both shots he faced.
The Terriers got goals from six different players, including sophomore Alex Paroda, who found the back of the net for the first time as a Terrier. Freshman Cal Dearth had a goal and an assist, while freshman Chad Bell, sophomore Sammy Davis, redshirt freshman Sam Tenney and freshman Craig Zebrowski also scored. Freshman Billy Kane collected his first collegiate point with an assist on Paroda's goal.
Paroda gave the Terriers a 1-0 lead just 58 seconds into the proceedings. After Zickel stopped Nikko Pontrello, Kane picked up the loose ball and carried it all the way into the Loyola zone. Once he entered the box, he handed the ball off to Paroda, who quickly fired a shot past Jack Runkel (10 saves).
The Greyhounds scored the final three goals of the opening 15 minutes to take a 3-1 lead into the second quarter. Both goaltenders stole the show in that stanza, with Zickel making three saves and Runkel stopping four shots in an action-packed quarter that saw both defensive units at their best. Loyola got the only goal of the quarter with 4:27 remaining and the score was 4-1 going into halftime.
Zebrowski gave the Terriers life at the start of the second half when he cut the deficit to 4-2 with an unassisted goal just 1:34 into the third quarter. Loyola answered, however, with four straight goals to take an 8-3 advantage.
An excellent individual effort by Bell made it an 8-3 game before Davis struck with his eight goal of the season. After a Zickel save, Davis got the ball, sprinted up the middle of the field, beat a defender and then ripped a shot past Runkel.
The final two Terrier goals came in the fourth quarter after the Greyhounds extended their lead to 10-5. First, Tenney took a feed from Dearth and converted on one of the Terriers' two extra-man opportunities. It was Tenney's team-leading 15th goal of the season. Dearth closed the BU account with his ninth strike of the year with 7:12 remaining in regulation.
BU will close its Patriot League schedule on April 19 when the Terriers travel to Worcester, Mass., to face off against Holy Cross. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
