Hi!  A lot has happened in our BIG EAST play since I last wrote. We got our first conference win against UConn, winning 17-2. Our defense played incredible, holding the Huskies scoreless for the final 54 minutes of the game.

We then quickly changed focus to Syracuse who we played two days later. Down by 6 at half time, we rallied back and came within two goals of the Orange. Some mistakes and turnovers gave Syracuse opportunities, which they capitalized on, and the final score came to 17-10. This loss made our next conference games that much more important for making the BIG EAST tournament.

Over Easter weekend, we flew to Cincinnati on Friday to play Saturday afternoon. We got on their turf Friday afternoon to practice in rainy, dark weather, but the sun came out on Saturday for the game. We played a good game on both ends of the field and the final score was 17-4.

Abby Rehfuss and Mary Heneberry both had great games, scoring 4 goals each. Cara Filippelli and Mary Clare Taylor both dominated on defense, Cara causing 4 turnovers and MC picking up 4 ground balls. We then traveled back to Baltimore, where most girls then got in their cars and drove home for Easter. It was nice to get home for a night or two, get a good meal and see friends and family.

This week, Cara Filippelli earned her third Big East Defender of the Week award which is very exciting and well-deserved. She is the only person in our conference to earn this award three times. Cara is such a force all over the field; her discipline on defense and through the midfield is awesome. I'm so proud of her and what she has done this season!

Yesterday we faced #6 Georgetown. This was the biggest game of our season so far, needing to continue to win in the BIG EAST to make the conference tournament. The team was so excited for the game. I had conversations with a many of the girls and knew we were ready to take on this tough opponent!

The weather wasn't really cooperating, but the rain didn't stop us from coming out hard. We started off on the right foot, gaining a 2-0 lead early in the game. The Hoyas fought back and we went into half time down 3-4. Grace Gavin came out of halftime fired up and scored two goals in the first 68 seconds of the second half, giving us the lead again.

We got two more goals, one from Emily Gibson and one from Abby Rehfuss to make the score 7-4 Loyola. We knew the game wasn't over and we needed to fight until the very last whistle. We did just that and ended the game up 13-11. Meg Steffe played an incredible game, recording 16 saves and 4 ground balls. She stepped up huge for our team and played with so much confidence.

A win over Georgetown means we are back in the running for the BIG EAST tournament. This also makes our game against Louisville on Saturday that much more important. We are very excited for Saturday and excited at the potential for Loyola's first appearance at the BIG EAST tournament.

Go Hounds!

We began last week with a day trip to the University of Delaware for our rescheduled game from Spring Break. It was a surprisingly chilly and windy day! We came out strong, scoring the first eight goals of the game.

Things got a little sloppy in the second half and the final score came to 11-5 with the 'Hounds on top. This gave us a 7-1 record for the first half of the season. We also jumped to #13 in the polls on Monday which was exciting.

We returned to practice on Wednesday and Thursday before beginning a long weekend of travel, starting at Rutgers on Friday night. This weekend began our Big East competition, and we didn't show up the way we would have liked. Rutgers started off the game with a four goal lead. We battled back to make it an interesting and close game.

We were down by one with less than three minutes to go, but we didn't capitalize. It was definitely a heart breaker, but We can't win when we only play 20 or so minutes of solid lacrosse. We walked off of the field with a lot of regret which is a terrible way to end a game.

We then traveled to South Bend to face the Irish. This is a great rivalry we have built in the Big East and we were pumped to play...and thankful we had a chance to redeem ourselves from our disappointing show on Friday.  We gained a four goal lead, but ND cut it to 1one going into half time. Goalie Meg Steffe had an amazing game with 11 saves in the first half alone.

The game was physical and the officials were calling the game close which forced us to stay disciplined. We ended up losing 16-13 which again was a huge disappointment. We played tough the whole game and did some great things, but we definitely have things to work on before we face UConn on Friday where we are looking to get our first Big East win of the year.

We are facing a big weekend, with the Huskies on Friday and Syracuse on Sunday. We are definitely looking forward to getting back on our home turf and showing the Big East some real Loyola lacrosse.

I'll let you know what happens. Go Hounds!

We just got back from a crazy weekend on the road.  On Friday morning we left Baltimore for Rutgers... we stopped at in New Jersey at the house of our teammates, Elizabeth and Virginia Weber, for a great team lunch and then got back on the road.  We played Rutgers under the lights on their grass field and did not play as well as we could have.  We lost the game by one which was a major loss for us because Rutgers is in our conference.  We made mistakes that we can definitely learn from and what we have learned will definitely benefit us in our future games. 

On Saturday we flew out to Chicago and then drove to Notre Dame from there.  This was a long day of traveling so when we finally got to the field for practice, we were antsy and full of energy.  The next day we played a competitive game against the Irish.  We battled it out until the last whistle but unfortunately did not come out on top (16-13).  This was another Big East game, so the loss was a huge disappointment.  We can not let these two losses get us down - we still have so many games ahead of us that I know we can win, so we just have to take what we have learned from these losses into our next games.  We have two more conference games this upcoming weekend (UConn and Syracuse) so it should be a great weekend of lacrosse.  I'm excited to get back out onto our home turf and show what the Greyhounds are all about. 

With only a short amount of time left in my college career, I am determined to leave everything on the field without regrets.  Every time I walk off the turf I am want to feel proud of what I have accomplished that day and know that I have done my best.  I will be sure to let you know how our games go this upcoming weekend. 

Go Hounds!

We have had a few games since I last wrote, so let me give you a little update.  We lost our game against UVA a few weeks ago, but recently beat two big rivals: UMBC and Towson University.  Losing to UVA was a disappointment but we put out a good team effort.  The events of the game showed us what we need to work on in order to continue raising the level of our game.  The game against Towson was a great win, but quite a nail-biter.  We came back from being down 8-5 at half time to pull out a big win in the last few minutes of the game.  I think beating these two strong teams in a row will help our confidence in upcoming games.

Personally, I missed four days of practice last week because I was sick.  I forgot how frustrating it can be to be sidelined because of an injury or illness.  Sometimes I don't really think about how lucky I am to be playing lacrosse.  I think I take this gift for granted a lot of the time, so when I wasn't able to play last week it was kind of a reality check.  I've gotten back into practices this week and could not be happier about it.  I am so pumped to play against Davidson this weekend and am excited to get back into the groove of things, recognizing everyday that I play as a gift.  

Spring weather is in the air here in Baltimore which is going to make lacrosse season just that much better.  Can't wait for the next few weeks... I will be sure to keep you up to date!

Go Hounds!

-MC

Hi! It has been a couple of weeks since my first time writing and a lot has been going on here at Loyola. Let me update you...

We played Virginia on the February 21 and unfortunately lost. We definitely learned a lot from playing them; they have a strong team from top to bottom and made few mistakes. It was tough to lose the first game on our home field this season. Emily Gibson really stepped up; she played the best I have ever seen her play. She was coming up with the draws and hitting her shots.

We got another chance to play at home later that week against UMBC. We came out strong really wanting a win and it showed. Our attack was balanced and we hit some shots early in the game to get a nice lead. It is always fun to play Baltimore teams because of the rivalries that have been built over the years.

Spring break was this past week which is sometimes dreaded because an empty campus can be depressing. The weather was crazy - it went from snow on Monday to sunny 65 degree weather on Friday. The snow got in the way of our Wednesday game against Delaware which was really disappointing. It was supposed to be played there, but their field conditions were not playable. Despite the cancellation, we still had a good week filled with practices, team dinners and even laser tag!

We ended our spring break with a game at Towson. The weather was gorgeous and we were pumped to play. It had been nine days since our last game against UMBC, and we came out in the first half pretty flat, going into half time down 8-5. We re-grouped and came out in the second half a lot more focused and playing the way we should. We scored 5 of the first 6 goals of the second half, gaining the lead. We ended up winning 15-12. It was our first top 20 win of the season and we are really happy with the way we played in the second half. We really look forward to playing Towson every year and it was great to come out with a win.

Today was exciting because we found out that we are now ranked in the Inside Lacrosse Top 20! Check out our website, loyolagreyhounds.com, for more information.

We are now looking forward to a week of practice before we face Davidson at home on Sunday. So, for now it's back to reality with classes starting up again this morning.

Thanks for reading. I'll be keeping you updated! Go Hounds.

Hi! My name is Meg Taylor, and I am a senior attacker for the Loyola Greyhounds. My twin sister, Mary Clare and I will be updating you on our season each week this season.
We are from Ellicott City, Maryland, just outside Baltimore in Howard County, where we grew up playing lacrosse. Loyola seemed like the perfect school for both of us, a challenging place that is rich in lacrosse tradition.

I live just off campus in an apartment with MC and my other teammate, Colleen O'Keefe. All of the seniors on our team live in the same apartment community, and the rest of the girls live on campus around the corner. If you are ever looking for a teammate to hang out with, you can most likely find girls in our locker room from the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.. The "Bravo" network is always on the TV and most conversations revolve around who is going to win "The Bachelor".

This year has been a different experience for our team because we have new coaches. The transition since September has been very smooth and comfortable for everyone. We are starting a new chapter in Loyola's history, and it is definitely cool to be a part of. I am really excited to show the lacrosse world what Loyola is made of.

We started our week with a scrimmage against Scotland on Sunday. I love playing international teams because of the different styles of play we see. It forces our team to adjust which always teaches you something. We were tied at half time, and came out to play a strong second half. It was a good feeling knowing we can bounce back after a half that we were not pleased with. After the game our parents put on a great tailgate for both teams where we got a chance to meet and talk to the girls from Scotland. It was a lot of fun!

We just got back from our first road trip and season opener against Stony Brook. It was a success, winning 15-7. It was such a good feeling to put on a Loyola jersey and get out on the field for an official game after 9 months! Colleen made her debut back on the field after getting her ACL repaired last spring. You could feel her presence on the  field and it was good to have her back! Grace Gavin really set the tone for the game, scoring 5 goals in the first half! She played awesome and got the rest of the team going. Her energy on the field is contagious.

We have our home opener against UVA on Saturday. I am excited to get out on our home turf! We have never played Virginia while I have been here, so it will be cool to face a new opponent. I'm looking forward to practice tomorrow when we can go over the Stony Brook game and look forward to our match up with UVA!

Thanks for reading. Go Hounds!

My name is Mary Clare and I'm a senior on the Loyola Women's Lacrosse team.  I am an amateur at blogging - never done it before - but am excited to share my thoughts with you as the lacrosse season plays out.  I am sad to say that this is the last season I will get to put on the #12 jersey that hangs in my locker today.

Soon I will be out in the "real world", wishing I could turn back time and start my college years all over again.  It feels like just yesterday that I was getting lost on what could be the smallest campus ever and wearing my practice gear to the classes I actually found (I really did wear my full green sweat suit to class a few times).

Even though I wish I could go back to these days so I could have three more great years at Loyola ahead of me, I am living in the moment and enjoying the days that I have left here.  I have had so many great experiences while being a part of this team and would not trade it for anything.  Our team is looking forward to a new chapter in the history of Loyola women's lacrosse and can't wait to prove to ourselves what we are really made of.

We just got back to Baltimore from our season opener against Stony Brook and it was a great way to start the season... 1-0!  It was probably one of the toughest games I've ever played in because of the weather conditions.  It was freezing cold, rainy/snowy, and windy but both teams played through it until the last second.

We did some awesome things out on the field and generated a lot of opportunities for each other.  Ana Heneberry was an animal on defense, causing Stony Brook to turn the ball over six times and picking up groundballs like a vacuum.  No one could get past her - and it was the first collegiate game she's every played in.  Knowing that we have freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors who can get the job done is an awesome feeling.

Although we won, we also made a lot of mistakes and have specific things that we still need to work hard on.  There is always room for improvement and an opportunity to take our game to the next level.  We do not want to settle for anything but our best, so in practice tomorrow we plan to do the work in order to get better than we were yesterday and today.  I have faith in my team mates and coaches, and know that we will continue to get better everyday and continue in the right direction.  I'm so excited for our home opener on Diane Geppi-Aikens Field (Saturday, February 21 at 3:30 p.m.) against UVA!!!  It is another great opportunity to prove who we are as the 2009 Loyola Greyhounds.

GO HOUNDS!

-MC