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Sun May 16 2021 | Matt DaSilva | College
PHOTO BY JACK DEMPSEY
Loyola goalie Sam Shafer makes a save on Denver s Alex Simmons with five seconds left to preserve the Greyhounds 14-13 NCAA tournament first-round win Sunday at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
Sam Shafer is 6-foot-3, 235 pounds. Loyola’s senior goalie needed all his big body frame to make the last-second save that will go down as one of the most clutch plays in recent NCAA men’s lacrosse tournament memory.
Shafer denied Denver’s Alex Simmons on the doorstep before time expired to preserve Loyola’s 14-13 win Sunday over the seventh-seeded Pioneers, exasperating the sold-out 40-percent capacity crowd at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium and sending the Greyhounds to the NCAA quarterfinals. It was Shafer’s 16th save of the game.
(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Chris McNulty)
Kevin Lindley picked up the ball behind the net, backing up a wide Loyola shot. He showed to his left, then cut to his right to the near side of the net, then with his right hand fed up to Aidan Olmstead, who buried a high shot to give the Greyounds the lead early in the fourth quarter.
On Loyola’s next offensive possession, Matt Benus followed up his shot to the endline, forcing an Army defender out of bounds to keep possession for the Hounds. He ran like a crazy person in front of a boisterous Loyola bench, then after the ball circled around, Evan James attacked from behind, had room and fired a low shot to take a two-goal lead and send the bench through the roof.