Advertisement

Led by stars, Loyola Maryland women’s lacrosse enters NCAA Tournament with ‘Why Not Us?’ attitude

edward lee, baltimore sun
·6 min read

Lauren Spence formulated the “Why Not Us?” slogan that Loyola Maryland women’s lacrosse adopted this spring as a rebuke to those who question the program’s candidacy as an NCAA championship contender. The junior goalkeeper’s brainchild was heartily welcomed by teammates Sydni Black and Chase Boyle.

“Every year, someone says, ‘Well, they lost this person and they lost that person.’ But why can’t it be us?” wondered Black, a senior attacker. “We have all the pieces to do it.”

Added Boyle, a junior midfielder: “A lot of the time, Loyola gets counted out of the conversations. But why can’t we be in those bigger conversations? I think that comes from us being able to prove ourselves on the lacrosse field.”

If the Greyhounds intend to insert themselves into the national discussion along with the likes of Northwestern, Boston College and Syracuse — the top three seeds, respectively, in the NCAA Tournament that begins this weekend — Black and Boyle figure to play significant roles in that pursuit.

Boyle leads all NCAA Division I players in goals with 80 and is the only player to amass 80 goals, 190 draw controls, 15 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers. With 101 points on 73 goals and 28 assists, Black and Stony Brook senior midfielder Ellie Masera are the only players to reach the 100-point threshold, while Black ranks among the top 50 in total draw controls with 81.

Loyola (17-2) will open the postseason Friday at 4 p.m. against Duke (10-8) in Philadelphia for the right to advance to a second-round matchup with either No. 8 seed Penn (13-4) or Richmond (13-5). CBS Sports Network analyst Leah Secondo said performances by Black and Boyle could determine the length of the Greyhounds’ stay in the tournament.

“They’re leaders,” said Secondo, who watched the duo compile four goals and one assist each and combine for nine draw controls in Saturday’s 12-11 overtime win over Navy in the Patriot League Tournament final. “If either one weren’t in the dynamic of it, it would change. It’s a load of pressure on anybody, but they’re at the point where Syd’s a senior and Chase is a junior, and that’s the expectation.”

Both players have already established career highs. Black, the Patriot League Attacker of the Year, has surpassed personal bests in goals, assists, points, draw controls and ground balls (22), while Boyle — the conference’s Midfielder of the Year who set the school record for goals in a single season — has exceeded previous totals in goals, assists (14), points (94), draw controls and ground balls (19).

The 5-foot-3 Black credited her success to an ability to avoid injury. She played on a fractured ankle as a sophomore in 2022 and was bothered by hamstring ailments last season.

“I knew coming in that this would be a good year because the past few years, I had been playing through some nagging injuries,” she said. “So to finally be healthy and strong and fit and ready to go, I knew I would be able to help more and contribute more than I had in the past.”

In her younger years, Boyle hated being one of the tallest girls in school. Now 5-10, she has wielded her height to snatch balls out of midair while contesting draw controls and kept her stick out of reach from opposing defenders while navigating the offensive zone.

“I think it’s a huge advantage,” said Boyle, whose father Patrick is 6-5, mother Farley is 5-11, older sister Mackenzie is a 5-10 graduate student attacker at Jacksonville and younger sister Abby is a 5-11 Ohio State commit. “Since I’ve been tall my whole life, I’ve known nothing different than being tall and having to weave my stick through traffic when I win or am fighting for a draw control.”

Boyle has inherited the do-everything role held previously by Jillian Wilson, who led the Greyhounds last spring in goals (61), draw controls (198) and caused turnovers (22). Boyle’s transformation includes a commitment to her physical conditioning.

“When the whistle blows, Chase Boyle turns on,” coach Jen Adams said. “I’m not sure she does [get tired], but I’m not sure that we give her a choice or a chance. She certainly doesn’t complain about it, and I love that about Chase.”

Black’s emergence as a playmaker pairs well with how clutch she can be. In Saturday’s final, she opened the fourth quarter with two goals in 12 seconds to turn a 9-8 deficit into a 10-9 edge.

Related Articles

“I think the Patriot League championship [Saturday] was a real testament to Sydni,” Adams said. “She put the team on her shoulders by deciding that we weren’t going to lose and making sure that she was going to do everything in her power to make sure that happened. I think when you have an athlete like she is and combining that with incredible lacrosse skill and her IQ growing every single day, it’s a pretty potent combination of things that Sydni Black has and brings to the table.”

Last month, Black and Boyle were named among the top 25 semifinalists for the Tewaaraton Award — the sport’s version of the Heisman Trophy — making the Greyhounds one of seven programs to put two representatives on that list. But they are the first to insist that teammates such as senior attacker Georgia Latch, graduate student midfielder Catie Corolla and graduate student attacker Anna Ruby ensure that the offense is more than a two-player show.

“That’s something that Chase and I talk about all the time, about how we don’t have to be the hero,” Black said. “If we have that trust in each other, we’ll get it done no matter what.”

Loyola has not advanced to the Final Four since 2003, making quarterfinal losses of 20-13 to Boston College in 2022 and 16-6 to Northwestern in 2023 that much more grating. Ending that drought this spring might involve a rematch with the reigning NCAA champion Wildcats (15-2), who are the overall No. 1 seed again, but Boyle said she and her teammates accept that challenge.

“Obviously, the last two years, we’ve lost in the Elite Eight and suffered some pretty big losses, too,” she said. “It’s kind of crushing ending your season like that when you’re so close to making the Final Four. This is something we’ve really focused on this year. We want to be that team that makes it to the Final Four.”

NCAA Tournament first round

Loyola Maryland vs. Duke

Franklin Field, Philadelphia

Friday, 4 p.m.

Stream: ESPN+