Pole Goal for the Win: Loyola Defenseman Scores OT Buzzer-Beater

Long gone are the days when long sticks were seen solely as instruments of defense. Still, pole goals tend to last longer in lacrosse fans’ memories. Just ask anyone how Duke won its first NCAA championship in 2010 — and how CJ Costabile became a household name in the sport.

To that end, Loyola fans won’t soon forget Remi Reynolds’ first goal as a Greyhound. The Rutgers transfer picked up a loose ball off a blocked shot, sprinted more than 30 yards and scored with 0.6 seconds left in overtime to lift Loyola to an 11-10 win over Towson on Tuesday.

Reynolds would not have had the opportunity were it not for goalie Luke Staudt, who made two saves in overtime. Or midfielder Mustang Sally, who slid to Towson sharpshooter Mikey Weisshaar and absorbed the shot before the ball caromed up the field.

No one slid to Reynolds on the ensuing fast break. He crow-hopped into the offensive box and sent a lefty shot past Tigers goalie Luke Downs before the buzzer.

It might have been a season saver. Loyola (2-3) had lost three straight games since its season-opening win over Georgetown, including a humbling 13-5 defeat the hands of Reynolds’ former team Saturday.

Reynolds played long-stick midfield for Rutgers as a freshman in 2022 and was a short-stick defensive midfielder as a sophomore in 2023. He started at close defense for Loyola on Tuesday. It was just his second career goal.

Attackman Davis Lindsey led the Greyhounds with four goals and an assist. Evan James added a hat trick.

Towson (3-2) had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Also Tuesday:

• Reynolds wasn’t the only long pole to find his way into the scorebook. Thirteen different players scored in No. 7 Cornell’s 23-7 victory over visiting Hobart, including goalie-turned-LSM Walker Wallace with his first career goal. Hugh Kelleher led the Big Red with four goals.
• Trailing 9-6 at halftime, No. 13 Michigan scored seven unanswered goals and defeated host Jacksonville 13-10. Justin Wietfeldt won 21 of 26 faceoffs and Justin Tiernan scored four goals to lead the Wolverines.
• No comebacks needed this time for Harvard. The 18th-ranked Crimson, who had to dig themselves out of an 8-1 hole to beat Bucknell 13-12 on Saturday, jumped out to a 7-1 lead and never looked back in a 23-8 blowout of Merrimack. Sam King continued his early-season explosion with three goals and two assists. He has 25 points in four games.