NCAA Rewind: Loyola Owned the Patriot League Again

Before USA Lacrosse Magazine looks ahead to what’s to come in 2025 — look out for our NCAA Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings later this summer — our team of staff and contributors decided it was worth taking a last look at the 2024 college lacrosse season.

To do that, we’re taking a journey through 30 of the top teams in men’s and women’s lacrosse to see what went right, what went wrong and how we should feel about the season.

LOYOLA

USA Lacrosse preseason/final ranking: No. 9/No. 11
2024 record: 18-3 (9-0 Patriot League)

What went right: Loyola scored quality non-conference wins over Florida, Penn State and Princeton. In conference, the Greyhounds gave us the usual, running the table and extending their regular-season Patriot League unbeaten streak to 75 straight wins dating back to 2014, their first year in the league.

The road to the conference tournament crown included an 18-0 win over Lehigh in the semifinals, the first shutout in Patriot League tournament history. Days later in the championship game, the Greyhounds faced a much closer outcome against Navy, which scored two goals at the end of regulation to force overtime. But Georgia Latch called game, clinching another Patriot League crown for Loyola. The Greyhounds then downed Duke 16-11 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Nationally, do-it-all Chase Boyle made waves, earning a spot as a Tewaaraton Award finalist after finishing seventh in Division I in goals per game (4.05) and fifth in draws per game (9.90). She was a threat everywhere on the field — just like the team. Loyola was sixth in Division I in scoring defense (8.48) and 10th in scoring offense (15.52).

What went wrong: The Greyhounds lost to Penn twice. The first, a head-scratching 13-6 loss that didn’t see the Greyhounds put up much of a fight, came on April 17 and spoiled a four-game winning streak. It may have also put the Greyhounds on the outside looking in for a national seed and home game in the NCAA tournament, especially given the Patriot League was a one-bid conference in 2023 (Navy’s controversial omission withstanding). 

While it was surprising to see the Greyhounds — owners of the No. 8 RPI — not host a pod for the first two rounds, the team had to go to Philadelphia, where it fell 12-9 to Penn to miss out on a third straight quarterfinal berth.

Season highlight: This is easy — the win over Navy in the Patriot League championship game. Latch’s game-winner sent even Jen Adams — a legend in the game who has seen and experienced it all — into an understandably exuberant celebration. It marked the fourth straight and eighth overall Patriot League crown for Loyola.

Verdict: Loyola generally finished where predicted (No. 9 to start the season and No. 11 at the end of it).  While not getting the coveted national seed and home game — and bowing out short of a third straight quarterfinal finish — likely isn’t what the Greyhounds wanted, it’s fuel for next season, when, by the way, Chase Boyle will return.