Loyola's Toomey: team showed physical and mental determination
It’s not a stretch to say that No. 19 Loyola deserved Monday off after outlasting host Georgetown in a 6-5 thriller on Sunday that took 60 minutes of regulation and four four-minute overtime periods to complete.
The Greyhounds’ perseverance actually began the day before when the game – originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. start on Saturday – was moved to 3 p.m. due to concern over inclement weather. The contest was then shifted again to Sunday at 3 p.m. as thunderstorms rolled into the Washington, D.C. area on Saturday afternoon.
Loyola coach Charley Toomey said the players absorbed the multiple changes to their schedule in stride.
“Emotionally, it was a draining weekend,” he said Tuesday. “But give the guys credit. They responded when they needed to. I don’t want to say that there was a sense of relief, but there was definitely a different mood than some of the other bus rides we’ve taken before.”
As a reward, the Greyhounds get a shortened week to prepare for Eastern College Athletic Conference rival Hobart’s visit to Ridley Athletic Complex on Saturday. Loyola (7-3 overall and 3-2 in the ECAC) is in sole possession of second place, but Ohio State (7-6, 2-2), Fairfield (6-6, 2-2) and Hobart (5-6, 2-2) aren’t far behind.
Toomey said he didn’t think the abbreviated week would impact the team’s preparations.
“Usually, Mondays are about watching the game film from Saturday and recognizing some of your mistakes and working on those,” he said. “Your actual preparation for your opponent starts on Tuesday – at least for us. So in terms of knowing Hobart, I don’t think anything will change. And luckily for us, we don’t really have to correct an awful lot from Sunday. I felt like the guys executed, and their goalie stood on his head.”
