The Case For Loyola
Loyola returns standouts everywhere. Hannah Powers and Livy Rosenzweig key the attack, Taylor VanThof highlights the midfield with Sam Fiedler and Elli Kluegel, and Kristen Yanchoris and Lindsey Ehrhardt lead the defense with goalie Kady Glynn.
“We have really strong individual players that are solid performers at all positions,” Adams said. “That’s a rarity. Sometimes your defense is strong and your offense is lacking. We have All-Americans at all positions.
“It’s one of those teams where you’re thinking you’re plugging in all the right names in the right positions, and you feel very deep and balanced.”
The Case Against Stanford
Loyola lost five starters that accounted for 99 starts last year. The Greyhounds attack must replace Hannah Savage’s 45 assists and find defenders to fill for Madison Fahey and Margaret Filipelli. Adams worries about the midfield that lost Katrina Geiger.
“Making sure we maintain healthy, strong depth in midfield to be able to run and gun and play that style for a full consistent 60 minutes is really important,” she said. “It’s important for Loyola’s style of play, but also for the way the game lends itself to it with the new rules. It’s a really key ingredient to have depth in the midfield.”
Path to the Playoffs
Loyola hasn’t dropped a regular-season game since they joined the Patriot League in 2014, but Navy has won the Patriot tournament in each of the last two years and ended Loyola’s NCAA tournament last year. The Greyhounds host Navy on April 6 in the next round of the rivalry.
Loyola will need to duplicate its out-of-conference success of a year ago, when it beat seven teams that made the NCAA tournament field. The wins propelled Loyola forward from unranked in the preseason to the top 10 on their way to the NCAA second round for the first time since 2015.
Players To Watch
Livy Rosenzweig, A, So.
102 PTS, 89 DC
Rosenzweig set the program records for points, and freshman marks in assists and draw controls. She teams with Patriot Attacker of the Year Hannah Powers for an explosive 1-2 punch. Rosenzweig will be more of a leader this year and grow as a dominant attacker who can score a variety of ways.
Taylor VanThof, M, Sr.
119 DC, 53 PTS
A Tewaaraton nominee last year, VanThof is the cog for the Greyhounds in the middle of the field. She wins possession on the draw control and contributes with her scoring. She is on pace to become the all-time draw control leader in Loyola history, ahead of older sister, Taryn.
Kristen Yanchoris, D, Sr.
25 GB, 19 CT
The Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year still has this season left, and that’s trouble for opponents. She has been starting since she was a freshman and is in her second season as a team captain. Yanchoris anchors a veteran unit that should be one of the best nationally again.
National Rankings
Category
|
Rank
|
Value
|
| Offense |
4th |
16.33/game |
| Defense |
15th |
9.76/game |
| Draws |
12th |
15.33/game |
| Ground Balls |
58th |
18.00/game |
| Caused TO |
34th |
9.38/game |
| Shooting |
3rd |
49.6% |
| FP Shooting |
35th |
44.5% |
| Yellow Cards |
37th |
31 |
Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)
Offense
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Defense
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐
Draw
⭐⭐⭐⭐
65
The Greyhounds return seven of their top nine scorers, accounting for 65 percent of Loyola’s offense from a year ago. Rosenzweig and Powers make up 34 percent of the scoring themselves. Loyola’s offense was ranked higher than in any of Adams’s first 10 seasons.
5-Year Trend
Scoring Offense (GPG)
Year
|
Rank
|
Per Game
|
| 2014 |
18th |
12.67 |
| 2015 |
17th |
12.91 |
| 2016 |
59th |
10.25 |
| 2017 |
33rd |
13.05 |
| 2018 |
4th |
16.33 |
Coach Confidential
Jen Adams
“We have proven, and I’ve seen at times, this is the best team I’ve ever coached. You can say it or look at it on paper, but it’s got to be the performance out on the field. That needs to happen every game, not just in spots, picking and choosing. There’s a mental side of it, but consistency, I keep saying to win a national championship that’s the key ingredient that’s probably been missing.”
Enemy Lines
“Jen coaches them up. They’re going to be that upset team and if you’re not prepared, you better watch out. The one problem is they lost Sabrina [Tabasso, who transferred to Stony Brook]. That’s going to be a loss for them. She would just knock you over and not give a crap. She added an attitude. She added to their midfield. They’ve got Taylor [VanThof] back in the draw circle. They’ll be a quality team.”
“They’re always highly skilled. They bring fun and flash. I don’t think this year will be any different.”
“They have an incredible team returning. They have quite possibly the best two goalies. Anytime last year they’d have their starter go, and if they had a finishing punch, they’d have the confidence to put the freshman in [now sophomore Kaitlyn Larsson]. They also had a freshman who stood out [Livy Rosenzweig], a true tough attacker. Towards the end of the season, she just wanted to carry the whole team on her back. She’s back as a sophomore and feisty and ready to play.”
